european

mail The Facts of our

industry Value Chain
platform

Facts, figures and arguments to challenge

common environmental myths that unfairly
hurt the reputation of our collective industry.

Prepared with significant contributions of:

CEPI,
CITPA,
FEDMA,
FEPE,
Intergraf,
PostEurop.
2
Table of Contents
Foreword 4

Executive Summary 5

QUICK FACTS: TEN KEY FINDINGS FOR PAPER BASED COMMUNICATIONS 10

Introduction 12

The raw material 13

a. Overview of the wood production and forestry industry 13
b. Facts 14
c. Concerns and myths addressed 15
d. Case studies and best practices 16

The product 16
a. Overview of the paper industry 16
b. Facts 17
c. Concerns and myths addressed 18
d. Case studies and best practices 19

The content 20
a. Overview of the communications sector 20
b. Facts 21
c. Concerns and myths addressed 22
d. Best practices 24

The production 25
a. Overview of the printing industry 25
b. Facts 25
c. Concerns and myths addressed 27
d. Case studies and best practices 28

The carrier 28
a. Overview of the boxes and envelopes converting sector 28
b. Facts 29
c. Case studies and best practices 29

The delivery 31
a. Overview of the postal industry 31
b. Facts 31
c. Concerns and myths addressed 32
d. Case studies and best practices 34

Waste and recycling 37

a. Overview of the waste management sector 37
b. Trends in Europe 38

Conclusions: Supporting the Value Chain 38

a. Reinforcing the positive aspects 38
b. Working on the negative aspects 39
c. Challenging and correcting the myths 40
d. Supporting all the partners in the value chain 41

Appendum: A last word on the IT sector 42

3
 Foreword
The climate is influenced by many factors from green-
house gases1 and aerosols2 in the atmosphere3 to the
energy coming from the sun and the reactive prop-
erties of the Earth’s surface. These changes have a
warming or a cooling effect on the planet because
they modify the amount of solar energy that is re-
tained or reflected back to space.
The debates are continuing within the scientific world
on the influence of the human race on global warm-
ing. As a responsible industry however, the different
sectors of the written communications value chain all
believe and acknowledge that:
• Global warming is a reality,
• Human activity is one of the root-causes of this
phenomenon.
Along with many other industries, we are taking our
share of the responsibility for global warming. Our
collective industries have invested millions of euros
restructuring their activities, optimising processes,
adapting purchasing policies and exploring new
technologies to reduce our dependence on tradi-
tional carbon-intensive energies. New initiatives are
also launched every day as we strive for continuous
improvement. By mitigating the harmful impacts and
by-products of our industries, we will continue to sup-
port a better and cleaner world – which is something
we should all be proud of.
Despite these actions, the reputation of our value
chain continues to suffer. Constant and targeted at-
tacks have affected the reputation of our industry
negatively. The www.shrinkpaper.org initiative is one
of the latest examples of the coordinated and mis-
leading attacks on our sector. The initiative states that
“Paper production and use is directly linked to grave
negative impacts on forests, biodiversity, on water re-
sources, on the global climate and on human rights,
through irresponsible producers”. These statements
have been widely reported and completely believed
by many commentators, and the general public at
large. In contrast, a UN statement that ‘Paper and print
are part of the solution to mitigate climate change4’ is
never reported and therefore never heard by the gen-
eral public.
We must all take our share of responsibility for our
poor reputation. As a very fragmented value chain,
we have not taken the time to understand each oth-
ers’ business nor the issues that others face. This must
change. Each of us must spend some time to learn the
value chain so we can highlight its positive aspects.
The European Mail Industry Platform (herein known
as EMIP) can play an important role in achieving this
objective.
EMIP is a PostEurop initiative that was started in 2006.
The objective of the group is to coordinate business
activities to grow the written communications sector
and thus support all industries involved in the paper
mail value chain. EMIP comprises representatives of
specific organisations who actively participate in the
European communications sector.
The aim of this document is to help you, as a stakehold-
er, understand better the value chain of your products
and/or services. Furthermore, the document provides
clear, concise, and objective facts and examples that
demonstrate the “green” activities of each part of the
value chain. Please distribute this document to your
colleagues in your industry so that we can all defend
and promote our industry, challenge the myths and
support each other for the benefit of our value chain.

1. Greenhouse gases are those gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the
spectrum of infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface, the atmosphere and clouds. This property causes the greenhouse effect. Water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide
(CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and ozone (O3) are the primary greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. Moreover there are a number of entirely human-
made greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as the halocarbons and other chlorine and bromine containing substances, dealt with under the Montreal Protocol.
Beside CO2, N2O and CH4, the Kyoto Protocol deals with the greenhouse gases sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs) and per fluorocarbons (PFCs).
4 2. An aerosol is a collection of microscopic particles, solid or liquid, suspended in a gas. In the context of air pollution, an aerosol refers to fine particulate matter, that is larger
than a molecule, but small enough to remain suspended in the atmosphere for at least several hours. The term aerosol is also commonly used for a pressurized container
(aerosol can) which is designed to release a fine spray of a material such as paint. It has also come to be associated, erroneously, with the gas (propellant) used to expel
materials from an aerosol can.
Executive Summary
There is growing consensus amongst the general
public, politicians, scientists, business customers and
others that current climate changes and behavioural
patterns are threatening the environment. Especially
increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the at-
mosphere, which are the cause of global warming,
are causing concern. In general, the paper mail value
chain in Europe recognises that its business activities
create CO2 emissions.
Nevertheless, concerns over the emissions must be
taken into context. All business activities create CO2
emissions - some more so than others. However, to
avoid weakening European industries and local com-
munities, it is also important to recognise the work
and efforts undertaken so far by industry to reduce its
impact on the environment. A lack of understanding
and/or unwillingness to understand is highly likely to
have contributed to volumes losses, reduced custom-
er loyalty and increasingly restrictive regulation lead-
ing to significant (economic and other) losses.
The paper mail value chain has a collective revenue
stream in Europe of over 300 billion euros and is
responsible for employing nearly seven million Eu-
ropeans5. In the battle to become environmentally
sustainable businesses, these industries have invest-
ed millions of euros to investigate and take actions to
mitigate their impact on the environment.
Despite this massive undertaking, our value chain
remains one of the main targets of negative com-
mentary on environmental issues. The goal of this
document is to provide all stakeholders of the Euro-
pean Mail Industry with objective data and arguments
concerning their actual environmental impact and
their efforts to reduce it.
In order to reach this goal, seven subsets of the mail
industry sector have been analysed thoroughly.

Raw Paper Message Message Message

material production creation production carrier

Message Waste
Delivery Management

3. The mass of air surrounding the Earth. The atmosphere consists of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and traces of other gases such as argon, helium, carbon dioxide, and
ozone. The atmosphere plays an important role in the protection of life on Earth; it absorbs ultraviolet solar radiation and reduces temperature extremes between day and
night.
4. FAO, ICFPA (International Council for Forest and Paper Industries), and IEA ( International Energy Agency), in collaboration with UNECE and WBCSD (Seminar, Oct 2006).
Find the conclusions at: www.fao.org/forestry/newsroom/en/news/108780/highlight_110246en.html.
5. PostEurope estimates based on the analysis of the Postal Users Group ‘European Mail Manifesto’ published in 2006 and adpated to reflect the expanded European 5
market.
 Raw material: the wood pro-
duction and forestry industry
Criticisms are voiced against the European paper
based communications industry that it destroys (an-
cient6) forests to create products such as mailings,
brochures, magazines, reports and envelopes. Re-
search shows that these claims are unfounded as
most of the world’s deforestation occurs in tropical
regions located in South America.
In Europe, the situation is very different. 44% of Eu-
rope is covered in trees. Excluding Russia, the figure
amounts to 38%. The forest area has increased by
30% since 1950. In recent years (since 1990), forests in
Europe have increased by 805,000 hectares. Exclud-
ing Russia, this increase amounts to 607,000 ha or 1.5
M football pitches each year7.
Despite the above facts, European forestry has be-
come a highly sensitive subject for the general public.
In response, the forestry industry has become a lead-
er in developing programmes that protect its resource
base. The UN reported in 20048 that forest health in
Europe is good and improving. This statement is still
being reinforced by forest certification standards plus
accreditation of certification bodies which are clear
examples of environmentally sound practices. These
practices have been implemented by the industry, on
one side to reduce the threat of forest degradation
and, on the other, to enhance the biological diversity
of Europe’s forests9.
Product: the Paper Industry
The industry is made up of around 800 companies and
1,200 pulp and paper mills with an annual turnover of
79 billion euros. It also employs 260,000 people.
It is often heard that paper production has a big carbon
footprint when in fact, because of the carbon seques-
tration in forests and the carbon fixed in paper prod-
ucts, the paper industry has a lower than expected
carbon footprint. In fact, an UN-led seminar on energy
and forest products in October 2006 concluded that
paper and print are part of the solution to mitigate
climate change10.
6. Ancient forests is a type of forest that has attained great age and so exhibits unique biological features.
7. UN FAO Global Forests Report 2005
8. UN ECE The conditions of forests in Europe (2004 Executive Summary)
9. EEA Progress towards halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010.
6 10. FAO, ICFPA (International Council for Forest and Paper Industries), and IEA ( International Energy Agency), in collaboration with UNECE and WBCSD (Seminar, Oct 2006).
Find the conclusions at: www.fao.org/forestry/newsroom/en/news/108780/highlight_110246en.html.
11. In Finland and Portugal (and perhaps Austria), some trees are grown and managed to be specifically harvested for paper production. This remains only a small part of
the total resource pool in Europe.
Trees are mainly harvested for the high-value clear-
wood used in other industries such as construction
and furniture-making11. The raw fibrous materials
used for paper-making depend on the grade of paper
required – as ‘fitness-for-purpose’ ensures that the
waste is minimised. On average12:
• 50% of the fibre for paper production in Europe is
recovered paper.
• 50% is from new or virgin fibre, most of which is a
by-product which may be potentially wasted:
• 13%13 comes from wood chips, saw dust and
the tops of the harvested trees which are gen-
erally unmarketable.
• 20-25%14 comes from thinnings which is a
management practice required during the
lifecycle of a forest to ensure that the forest
remains healthy and is safe from risk of fire.
The industry recognises the importance of recycled
material in the paper-making process and continues
to work on projects to increase recycling in Europe.
The paper industry in Europe is a world-leader in recy-
cling. In 2007, more than 64% of the paper and board
consumed in Europe was recycled. Most of this mate-
rial is reused again in the paper-making production
process as it becomes raw material to produce new
paper.
In fact, paper is recycled more than any other packag-
ing material in Europe. Paper accounts for two-thirds
of all the packaging material recovered for recycling
-- more than glass, metal, and plastic combined.
The industry is also a leader in supporting environ-
mental projects. It strongly encourages the reuse of
paper, in part as it has become a necessary raw ma-
terial for new paper production.
The industry has also invested 470 million euros spe-
cifically in environmental-related Research and Devel-
opment projects in recent years. From this investment,
the industry has made material efficiency gains and
has been able to move towards cleaner energy sourc-
es. The CEPI sustainability report (2007) reports that:
• CO2 emissions have been cut by 15% from 2003 to
2006
• Energy consumption has been reduced by 30% in
Europe’s pulp and paper mills.
• Of the energy consumed today, 54.5% used in Eu-
ropean paper mills is renewable biomass (and
biomass is carbon neutral). This is the highest per-
centage of all industrial sectors in the EU – and the
industry expects to grow this to 56% by 2010.
Content: the Communications
Industry
The European direct marketing sector represents
business revenues of over 75 billion euros and em-
ploys over two million people directly, and many more
indirectly, within the EU. It is a commercial communi-
cations (strategic) tool which is of considerable impor-
tance to governments, fundraisers, charities as well
as businesses and consumers.
The Direct Marketing industry aims to avoid or mini-
mise waste. It achieves this by ensuring that cam-
paigns are designed to maximise the response from
recipients, that the database of names and address-
es are accurate, clean and up-to-date which will mini-
mise irrelevant or undeliverable items being sent out.
Criticisms such as direct mail is never opened can be
refuted by research done in many EU countries show-
ing that Europeans enjoy receiving direct mail. In Bel-
gium, 97% of households check the post daily, 74%
open the mail immediately. 80% of all DM is opened
– with an average reading time of two minutes. In
the UK, levels of opening (67%) and reading (45%) in-
creased in 200515. 70% of customers keep direct mail
for later use.
Direct Mail is also not responsible for waste landfills.
Across Europe, 90% of the paper used in DM cam-
paigns is recycled and Direct Mail only accounts for 1%
of the total paper consumption of an average coun-
try. The industry encourages consumers and local
communities to recycle paper, so that it can be used
again16.
12. CEPI. For more information, see www.cepi.org
13. As wood chips or sawdust
14. Weaker or smaller trees are felled early on to allow space for the stronger trees to grow larger
15. Consumer Direct Mail Trends Survey 2006.
16. FEDMA Recommendation on the Environment 2008
Targeting is an important feature of Direct Mail. Ad-
vanced targeting techniques and continuous im-
provements help to limit excess production. However,
Direct Mail is also advertising for the product or brand,
therefore non-response does not constitute waste.
After consumers have used the information, the mate-
rial becomes a recyclable product that can be used
again and again if treated properly. This is no different
from an empty drink can which is discarded correctly
so that it can be reused.
Finally, besides efficient data management, the DM
industry also makes efforts to reduce its impact on
the environment by creating environmentally friendly
designs and making the production of direct mail and
promotions material more efficient.
Production: the Printing
Industry
The European graphic industry employs over 870,000
people and has a turnover of more than 100 billion
euros.
Critics say that printers want to print large runs to sell
more to their clients. In reality their main objective is
the satisfaction of customers. They have the neces-
sary equipment to deal with small and large runs and
they are leaders in the personalisation and customi-
sation of printed products and variable runs.
Each printing process (traditional, digital) has its spe-
cific environmental impact with appropriate solutions.
Digital printing is not necessarily better for the envi-
ronment than traditional methods. Indeed, printing
shorter runs with digital technology, although lower-
ing paper consumption, is not always the most sus-
tainable option.
Significant efforts have been made, such as the use
of vegetable based inks utilising corn, walnut, coco-
nut, linseed, canola and soy-bean oils (all renewable
resources). This aids in optimising print processes to
reduce waste, innovating new dampening solutions
in offset printing, changing and reducing cleaning
agents and improving energy management strate-
gies.
7
 Carrier: the Boxes and services to support the flow of information across Eu-
Envelopes Industry rope. The UPU (Universal Postal Union) confirms that
the penetration of the mail network across Europe is
The paper and board converting industry generates almost 100%. In other words, mail operators are ca-
revenues of 60 billion euros per annum and employs pable of providing communications to 100% of regis-
about 380,000 people in the EU (CITPA17). tered Europeans.

The industry provides a fitness-for-purpose solution to
ensure that the articles or products transported across
Europe arrive safely (undamaged with no breach of
privacy) at the final destination.
Paper and board packaging remains the EU cham-
pion for recycling. The industry currently recycles over
84% of its paper and board packaging – a level that
easily exceeds the target set in Directive 94/62/EC
on packaging and packaging waste (set at 60% by
2008).
With their significant transport fleets, office buildings,
post offices and sorting centres, the reduction of CO2
emissions is the most important environmental chal-
lenge for European public postal operators. To this
end, postal operators in Europe have invested millions
of euros in environmental initiatives in recent years.
However, criticism of the postal sector’s environmen-
tal footprint is mostly directed at the product they are
transporting and delivering to all 800 million European
citizens.

A study initiative, the totally recyclable envelope, was
conducted by the Envelution Forum18 to develop guide-
lines for envelope manufacturers in Europe to produce
a recyclable envelope. The study was conducted by
the “Centre Technique du Papier” (CTP) following stan-
dard testing procedures.
The study found that it is possible to recycle envelopes
manufactured from standard commercial compo-
nents within the graphic paper recycling stream with-
out any negative impact on the final recycling product.
What is considered as unwanted material in the re-
cycled graphic paper stream today can actually be a
valuable source of quality cellulose fibre for recycling
mills tomorrow.
The envelope industry has also been working with
the European Stationary industry to develop an eco-
label for converted paper products. The objective of
the ‘Paper by Nature’ ecolabel is to offer a clear and
trustworthy reference for European consumers of
converted paper products. The ecolabel, developed
in conjunction with the paper industry and an NGO,
sets criteria to be achieved for the entire process –
from the raw material stage to the printing and con-
version processes. For more information, please see
www.paperbynature.com.
Mail delivery comprises about 0.1% of the total house-
hold CO2 emissions in Europe19 (14 kg of CO2)20. Yet at
the same time, a single PC emits upwards of 495 kg of
CO2 annually – more than two percent of household
emissions21.
Assumptions therefore, that electronic communica-
tion is better for the environment must continue to be
challenged, as should the statement that both cus-
tomers and companies should only use electronic
communications. These statements are based on the
erroneous perception that electronic communications
have a lesser impact on the environment.
Other statements claim that people do not want pa-
per door-to-door advertising (so called “junk mail”).
However, studies in Europe tend to refute this concern.
In Belgium alone, sales results at Carrefour can be up
to 50% lower if door-to-door advertisements are not
delivered or not delivered on time. Furthermore, 52%
of households say they purchase products and ser-
vices seen in advertising mail they receive22.
Advertising mail is therefore, highly relevant to many
Europeans. It provides a targeted intelligent commu-
nications medium that enhances customer relation-
ships and creates value for all parties involved.

Delivery: the Postal Industry
The European postal sector generates revenues of 47
billion and employs more than two million people.
The industry remains one of the key infrastructural
Finally, a large number of postal operators have un-
dertaken significant steps to reduce their environ-
mental footprint by introducing process optimisation,
alternative distributions vehicles and fuels (energy
sources), etc.

17. Within this industry, the corrugated board industry has a turnover of 20 Billion euros per annum and employs 98,000 people across Europe while the envelope industry
has a turnover of two billion euros and employs around 20,000 persons.
18. FEPE. See www.fepe.org (’Activities’ / ’Environment’) for more information
19. Ave CO2 emissions per European household is approx 20 tonnes per household per annum. This is based on figures from the International Energy Annual 2005 (7.93
tonnes of CO2 per capita x a std conversion rate of 2.80 persons per household).
20. The CO2 of mail per household is based on a European average number of mailpieces of 260 units per capita (approx average of UPU data for Europe) converted us-
8 ing the std factor of 2.80 persons per household (727 items per household). This is then converted to CO2 equivalents using an industry figure of 20gr of CO2 emitted per
mailpiece (estimated average for Europe based on postal company CSR reports – collected & summarised by Pitney Bowes: http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:OlIQ_-
lq73oJ:www.insight2foresight.co.uk/_attachments/3335871/Making%2520Mail%2520Relevant%2520v2.ppt+CO2+of+a+transatlantic+flight,+6.6+minutes&hl=en&ct=
clnk&cd=1&gl=be). Note that the figures do not include production of materials which Pitney Bowes estimates to costs 0.9-1.3gr CO2 per gr of paper (Pitney Bowes - The
Waste Management and
Recycling
The waste management and recycling sector has an
estimated turnover of over 100 billion euros per year in
Europe. It is labour intensive and provides between 1.2
and 1.5 million jobs23.
The paper industry and its print media stakeholders24
play an active role in supporting waste management
and recycling objectives. The European Declaration
on Paper Recycling has a recycling target of 66% of
paper consumed by 2010. Based on the CEPI data,
this means that Europe will recycle 64 million tonnes
of paper by 201025 (an increase of about four million
tonnes on 2007 levels which is already eight million
tonnes more than in 2004 when the original targets
were agreed). Additional and tangible benefits have
also been recognised as a result of the programme26:
• Pulping of recovered paper is less energy intensive:
for example 0.4MWEh/tonne in recycling compared
to 2-2.5MWEh/tonne in virgin production.
• Not land-filling the paper directly contributes to the
climate as well, saving on Methane emissions from
landfills.
• The 2010 target will save some an additional five
million tonnes of CO2 compared to a scenario of
“stagnation of recycling volumes”.
Conclusions
In addition to reinventing ourselves through new
products and services which provide the value that
customers are seeking, including in terms of the en-
vironment, the incredibly complex communications
sector will also need to defend itself better and to pub-
licise the positive value proposition that our industry
offers European citizens.
Positive aspects must be reinforced. Our industry pro-
vides an essential service to the citizens of Europe that
is accessible to all businesses and individuals. Pene-
tration of posts is almost at 100%, mail is highly valued
by customers, consumers and businesses alike.
The paper-based communications industry contrib-
utes significantly to the well-being of all businesses,
citizens and consumers across the whole of Europe.
It has made and will continue to make considerable
investments and efforts to improve its systems and
processes. It operates on the basis of continuous
improvement. As a result, it supports the well-being
of European forests and minimises waste. The value
chain can and must be collectively defended.

Environmental Impact of Mail: A Baseline, June 2008). Assuming a 20gr mail piece, this would, in practice, double the CO2 emissions (to 28 kg CO2 per household). Still less
than 0.2% of annual total household emissions.
21. Study of a reference PC in the UK indicates that a PC operating at full capacity for eight hours per day and 5 days per week releases 6.8kg of CO2 per week or 352 kg of
CO2 per annum. Given that a household PC is also used on weekends, the emissions can be estimated to be as high as 495kg of CO2 per annum. http://www.zerocar-
bonfootprint.co.uk/green_computing.htm
22. www.usps.com/directmail/_pdf/04MailMoment.pdf
23. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/pdf/faq.pdf 9
24. Includes printers, publishers and converters.
25. This includes exports paper waste for recycling. Recycling in Europe specifically totalled 57 million tonnes
26. http://www.iea.org/Textbase/work/2006/pulppaper/Mensink_Recycling.pdf
 QUICK FACTS: TEN KEY FINDINGS FOR PAPER BASED COMMUNICATIONS

1. F orests are not being destroyed to produce paper-mail. On the contrary, the total forest area in Europe is
now 30% larger than in 1950 - and growing. Including Russia, European forests cover 44% of the total land
area and they are increasing by 805,000 ha per year. Excluding Russia, the figures are 38% of land area
and increasing at 607,000 ha per year (1.5 million football pitches).

2. T he paper industry rarely cuts trees for the production of paper27. Trees are mostly harvested for the
high-value clearwood used in other industries such as construction and furniture-making. The raw fi-
brous materials used for paper-making in Europe on average comprise28:

• 50% of fibre from recovered paper.

• 50% new or virgin fibre, most of which is a by-product which may be potentially wasted:

• 13% comes from wood chips, saw dust and the tops of the harvested trees which are generally
unmarketable.
• 20-25%29 comes from thinnings which is a management practice required during the lifecycle of a
forest to ensure that the forest remains healthy and is safe from risk of fire.

3. T he paper industry does not have a big carbon footprint. Because of the carbon sequestration30 in for-
ests and the carbon fixed in paper products, the paper industry has a relatively positive (i.e. low) carbon
footprint. The UN has said that the wood and paper industries could be part of the solution to mitigate
climate change.

4. T he paper industry does not consume immense quantities of fossil fuels. 54.5% of the energy used in
European paper mills is green biomass, the highest percentage of all industrial sectors in the EU. The CO2
emissions from this biomass are neutral.

5. M
 ail represents 0.1% of the total household CO2 emissions31. It amounts to only 14 kg of CO2 per year
based on an average number of mail items for a household of 727 per year32. This is equivalent to33:

• One 70 km car journey or

• Five Cheeseburgers or
• Nine litres of milk or
• 6.6 minutes of a transatlantic flight.

6. P
 aper used in communications should not end up in landfill. In 2007, more than 64% of the paper and
board consumption was recycled in Europe. The industry recognises the importance of recovered mate-
rial in the paper-making process and continues to work on projects to promote recycling in Europe.

27. In Finland and Portugal (and perhaps Austria), some trees are grown and managed to be specifically harvested for paper production. This remains only a small part of
the total resource pool in Europe.
28. CEPI. For more information, see www.cepi.org
29. Weaker or smaller trees are felled early on to allow space for the stronger trees to grow larger
30. The process by which carbon sinks remove CO2 from the atmosphere is known as carbon sequestration
31. Ave CO2 emissions per European household is approx 20 tonnes per household per annum. This is based on figures from the International Energy Annual 2005 (7.93
tonnes of CO2 per capita x a std conversion rate of 2.80 persons per household).
10 32. The CO2 of mail per household is based on a European average number of mailpieces of 260 units per capita (approx average of UPU data for Europe) con-
verted using the std factor of 2.80 persons per household (727 items per household). This is then converted to CO2 equivalents using an European industry figure of 20gr
of CO2 emitted per mailpiece (estimated average for Europe based on postal company CSR reports – collected & summarised by Pitney Bowes: http://66.102.9.132/
search?q=cache:OlIQ_-lq73oJ:www.insight2foresight.co.uk/_attachments/3335871/Making%2520Mail%2520Relevant%2520v2.ppt+CO2+of+a+transatlantic+flight,+6.
 7. P
 aper is recycled more than any other packaging material. Paper accounts for two-thirds of all the
packaging material recovered for recycling -- more than glass, metal, and plastic combined.

8. T here is no such thing as ‘junk mail’. Studies continue to reinforce the value of Direct Mail as a means
of informing Europeans. After consumers have used the information, the material then becomes a recy-
clable product that can be used again and again if treated properly. This is no different from an empty can
of coke which is discarded correctly so that it can be reused.

9. T he Postal network is guaranteed to reach 100% of registered European citizens. The postal industry
remains the only effective communication network that is guaranteed to reach 100% of Europe’s citizens.
This fact is enshrined in European law. The postal industry provides a strategically essential service that
simply cannot be replaced.

10. E lectronic communications are not more environmentally friendly than paper based communica-
tions. PC’s account for more than two percent of annual household CO2 emissions34. This cost is always
underestimated by commentators. A Swedish study confirmed that reading a newspaper released 20%
less carbon than reading a newspaper online for 30 minutes35.

……..AND WE ARE ALL INVESTING TO MAKE FURTHER REDUCTIONS…..

6+minutes&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=be). Note that the figures do not include production of materials which Pitney Bowes estimates to costs 0.9-1.3gr CO2 per gr of paper
(Pitney Bowes - The Environmental Impact of Mail: A Baseline, June 2008). Assuming a 20gr mail piece, this would, in practice, double the CO2 emissions (to 28 kg CO2 per
household). However, this is still less than 0.2% of annual household emissions.
33. Pitney Bowes (Making Mail Relevant) http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:OlIQ_-lq73oJ:www.insight2foresight.co.uk/_attachments/3335871/Making%2520Mail%25
20Relevant%2520v2.ppt+CO2+of+a+transatlantic+flight,+6.6+minutes&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=be).
34. Study of a reference PC in the UK indicates that a PC operating at full capacity for eight hours per day and 5 days per week releases 6.8kg of CO2 per week or 352 kg of
CO2 per annum. Given that a household PC is also used on weekends, the emissions can be estimated to be as high as 495kg of CO2 per annum. http://www.zerocar-
bonfootprint.co.uk/green_computing.htm. 11
35. http://www.forest.fi/smyforest/foresteng.nsf/95f358fafb7d84d8c2256f4b003725e1/5c5a49462ac05185c22574ba001ba997. Note that the study assumed that the
newspaper was only read once and by one person whereas the ENPA (www.ENPA.be) state that 140 million newspapers are distributed daily in Europe and are read by 280
million people. Further, the study does not consider the full cost of disposal of the PC and screen.
 Introduction
The paper mail value chain has a collective revenue
stream in Europe of over 300 billion euros and em-
ploys more than five million Europeans36. In the chal-
lenge to become environmentally sustainable, our
industry (herein known as the ‘mail value chain’) has
invested millions of euros to research and develop
systems and processes to mitigate our impact on
the environment. Despite this massive investment,
our value chain remains one of the main targets of
negative environmental commentary from NGOs, the
media and politicians which affects our reputation
amongst the main stream public in Europe.
To convince others that we are responding to environ-
mental challenges, we need to be ready to respond
clearly, concisely and consistently - with facts - to all
commentators.
Raw Paper
material production
Message Waste
Delivery Management
12 36. PostEurope estimates based on the analysis of the Postal Users Group ‘European Mail Manifesto’ published in 2006 and adapted to reflect the expanded European
market.
This document sets out to achieve this goal. Each
chapter describes the specific industry involved in the
value chain. It provides the environmental facts to cor-
rect the myths that stigmatise our industry and have
been ‘factualised’ in recent years and then concludes
by providing examples of initiatives developed in each
industry.
The simple nature of the average mail piece produced
and delivered to the end consumer hides a complex
chain of events that need to be defined before one is
able to fully understand the paper mail value chain.
For the purpose of this document, the following sub-
sets of the mail industry sector have been selected and
will be dealt with in detail in the following chapters.
Message Message Message
creation production carrier
Raw Material
a. Overview of the wood production
and forestry industry

Globally, the total forest area in 2005 was estimated to

be around 30% of the planet’s land area, just under 40
million km2. This corresponds to an average of about
0.62 ha (6.2km2) per capita, though it is unevenly dis-
tributed37.

Region Forest Area (000 ha) % Area % Global Forest Area

Africa 635.412 21,4 6,5%

Asia 571.577 18,5 5,9%

Europe 1.001.394 44,3 10,3%

Nth/Central America 705.849 32,9 7,2%

Oceania 206.254 24,3 2,1%

Sth America 6.631.240 47,7 68,0%

TOTAL 9.751.726 30,3 100,0%

As highlighted, South America is the region with the
highest percentage of forest cover (almost half of the
land area) while Asia is the region with the lowest per-
centage of forest cover (less than 20% of land area).
Almost half of Europe (including the Russian Federa-
tion and Siberia) is covered in forests, which account
for about 10% of the world’s total forest area.
On a global basis, the deforestation rate was esti-
mated at 13 million hectares per year during the pe-
riod 1990–2005. The rate of net loss is decreasing as a
result of more positive balance between afforestation
and natural expansion of forests in some countries
and regions.
In Europe, the forest area has in fact increased by an
average of 805 000 ha per year, or 8% of the total for-
est area, as sustainable management practices in the
forestry industry have become standard practice (ex-
cluding Russia, this increase amounts to 607,000 ha
or 1.5 M football pitches each year).
According to a Ministerial Conference on the Protec-
tion of Forests in Europe (MCPFE, 1998) sustainable for-
est management is defined as the stewardship that
oversees the use of forests and forest lands in a way,
and at a rate, that maintains their biodiversity, produc-
tivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential
to fulfil, now and in the future, relevant ecological,
economic and social functions, at local, national and
global levels, and that does not cause damage to
other ecosystems.
Criteria for sustainable forest management adopted
by MCPFE in 1998:
• Maintenance and appropriate enhancement of
forest resources and their contribution to global
carbon cycles;
• Maintenance of forest ecosystem health and
vitality;
• Maintenance and encouragement of productive
functions of forests;
• Maintenance, conservation and enhancement of
diversity in forest ecosystems;
• Maintenance and appropriate enhancement of
protective functions in forest management (notably
soil and water); and
• Maintenance of other socio-economic functions
and conditions.

37. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) collected and assessed information from 229 countries and territories for three points in
time: 1990, 2000, and 2005. This assessment sheds light on overall progress towards sustainable forest management at both global and regional level.
13
 b. Facts

44% of Europe is covered in trees. Excluding Russia,

the figure amounts to 38%. Even the lower figure re-
mains well-above the global average.

Forests in Europe have actually increased by 30%

since 1950 (FAO38).

Europe has developed a well-balanced definition for

sustainable forest management. A UN report39 has
stated that the forest health in Europe is good and
improving. Under such responsible management,
forests are a renewable resource that can be regener-
ated almost indefinitely.

Sustainably managed forests are crucial to the long-

term viability of the industry. Currently 3% (295 million
hectares40) of the worlds’ forests are certified under a
credible forest certification programme. Of this, 34%
(99 million hectares) of the certified forests are located
in Europe (of which 12 million hectares is found in Rus-
sia).

According to CEPI41, 45% of woody raw material used

by the pulp mills in Europe was certified by either the
FSC or PEFC forest certification schemes.

The European Environmental Agency (EEA) has stated

that ‘forestry practice in Europe is developing in a way
that can be considered as good for biodiversity42.’ In
another report, the EEA indicates that ‘there are clear
signs of progress in reducing threats to and enhanc-
ing the biological diversity of Europe’s forests43.’

c. Concerns and myths addressed

Surveys show that Europeans are concerned about

the biodiversity of forests. People wrongly believe that
the diversity as well as the total area of Europe’s for-
ests are in decline.

38. UN FAO Global Forests Report 2005

39. UN ECE The conditions of forests in Europe (2004 Executive Summary)
40. www.forestrycertification.info
41. CEPI, Dec 2006. Pulp and paper trade liberalisation and sustainability aspects.
14 42. EEA The European Environment: State and Outlook 2005
43. EEA Progress towards halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010.
 MYTH EUROPEAN CORRECTIONS

Forest areas are declining in The FAO44 estimates that in Europe, forests have actually increased
Europe. by 30% since 1950.

European forest area continues to grow. Including Russia, forest

area has been growing by 805,000 ha per year since 1990. Exclud-
ing Russia, the figure is 607,000 ha.

Forests can be used but need to be A UN report45 has stated that the forest health in Europe is good
protected. and improving. Under such responsible management, forests are
a renewable resource that can be regenerated almost indefintely.

Biodiversity is the top priority – The European Environmental Agency (EEA) has stated that ‘forestry
harvesting wood must come later. practice in Europe is developing in a way that can be considered as
good for biodiversity46.’

In another report, the EEA indicates that ‘there are clear signs of
progress in reducing threats to and enhancing the biological diver-
sity of Europe’s forests47.’

It should be noted that sustainably managed forests are regularly

‘cleaned’ which helps to reduce the risk of fire in forests which can
cause enormous environmental damage, loss of life and property
and contribute to global warming (with reference to the devastat-
ing fires in Spain, Greece and Portugal in recent years).

Rainforests are being destroyed to The world’s deforestation occurs in tropical regions where people
produce products such as newspa- in underdeveloped countries clear forests for agricultural purposes
pers and magazines. or wood-fuel collection. It is not acceptable practice BUT it is not
happening in Europe.

The paper industry sources more than 80% of its wood and its
wood pulp from within Europe (excluding Russia).

50% of the fibre for paper production in Europe is recovered paper.

The remaining 50% comes from (i) wood residues generated by
other industries (13%) - from saw dust and woodchips from saw
mills and (ii) commercial thinnings (20-25%) – which are necessary
to keep the forests healthy48.

Ancient forests are being destroyed For conservation reasons, over 20% of the EU forest area is consid-
to make paper. ered ancient and is protected by law from harvesting.

Almost half of all industrial logged The European paper industry is committed to combating illegal
timber is pulped to make paper logging, and will not use wood that is harvested in violation of na-
products. Much of it from old tional or local laws.
growth, other endangered and
high-conservation forests. In Europe, 50% of the forests are certified under a credible forest
management scheme. Of the forests owned by companies in Eu-
rope, 96% are certified and the goal remains full certification49.

44. UN FAO Global Forests Report 2005

45. UN ECE The conditions of forests in Europe (2004 Executive Summary)
46. EEA The European Environment: State and Outlook 2005
47. EEA Progress towards halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010
48. CEPI. For more information, see www.cepi.org.
49. Pulp and paper trade liberalisation and sustainability aspects, CEPI, Dec 2006
15
 d. Case studies and best practices
There are two well-known forest management pro-
grammes operating in Europe:
• The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) operates an
international framework for forest certification and
wood product labelling. There are several aspects
of FSC’s work which have an important bearing on
research to compare forest certification schemes.
For example, FSC has developed and implemented
comprehensive procedures to establish compara-
bility between FSC national initiatives. FSC has also
undertaken work to compare the levels of perfor-
mance required by FSC standards developed at na-
tional level in different countries within similar forest
regions
• The Program for Endorsement of Forest Certifica-
tion (PEFC) is implementing a system for the mutual
recognition of forest certification schemes in Europe,
which is now being expanded to allow inclusion of
non-European schemes. PEFC has developed crite-
ria and procedures for the assessment of national
schemes.
Other forest management schemes also exist. CEPI50
developed a matrix so that the industry and com-
mentators can make valid comparisons between the
schemes. This is now operated by an independent
consultant commissioned by the International Council
of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA). This group
indicates that credible forest certification schemes
should include at least four elements:
• Forest certification standards – documents, estab-
lished by consensus and approved by a recognised
body, which set out the forestry requirements which
must be met.
16
• Forest certification – the procedure by which an in-
dependent third party gives written assurance of
conformity to the forest certification standards.
• Accreditation of forest certification bodies – a proce-
dure by which a body gives formal recognition that
an independent third party is competent to carry out
forest certification.
• A mechanism to control claims relating to forest
management - including procedures to enforce a
set of rules for organizations making these claims.
The forest industry in Europe continues to develop
best-practice programmes to meet the needs of con-
sumers and, more generally, society.
Product
a. Overview of the paper industry
The paper industry is made up of around 800 compa-
nies and 1,200 pulp and paper mills. Within Europe,
Germany is the largest paper producer, followed by
Finland, Sweden, Italy and France. The main pulp-pro-
ducing countries are Finland and Sweden.
The industry has an annual turnover of 79 billion eu-
ros and provides direct employment to about 260,000
people, and indirect employment to some 1.8 million
people - 63% of whome are in rural areas.
The industry is one of the biggest users and producers
of renewable energy sources. Over 50% of the energy
used for on-site heat and power production comes
from biomass-based energy. The sector has invested
heavily in combined heat and power generation.
50. CEPI. For more information, see www.cepi.org.
51. Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzer-
land, Netherlands and United Kingdom
In 2006, CEPI member countries51 produced more than
100 million tonnes of paper and board and exported 18
million tonnes. In volume terms, graphic paper grades
account for around 48% of European paper produc-
tion, packaging paper grades account for 40%, and
hygiene and specialty papers for 12%.
Over the last 15 years, paper & board consumption
has increased by an average rate of 2.6% per annum
in Europe. In 2007, more than 64% of all paper and
board consumed (graphic paper and packaging ma-
terial) in Europe is recycled.
b. Facts
Trees are primarily harvested for the high-value clear-
wood used in other industries such as construction
and furniture-making.
The raw materials used for paper making depend on
the grade of paper required – as fitness-for-purpose
ensures that the waste is minimised. On average
however, the raw fibrous materials for paper-making
are52:
• 50% from recovered paper.
• 50% by-product of the higher-valued industries
(wood chips…)
The paper industry is a large user of energy in Europe.
However, it emits significantly less CO2 that other en-
ergy intensive industries (eg steel, plastics) and is the
largest producer of renewable energy (27% of the to-
tal renewable energy produced in Europe).
This is due to the large capital investments made by
the industry in recent years. Of the 4.7 billion euros per
annum invested in capital projects in recent years, ap-
proximately 10% (470 million euros per annum) has
52. CEPI. For more information, see www.cepi.org.
been specifically dedicated to direct environmental
protection. The results from this investment, as high-
lighted in the CEPI Sustainability Report (2007), show
that:
• CO2 emissions have been cut by 15% from 2003 to
2006,
• Energy consumption has been reduced by 30% in
the paper industry,
• 54.5% of energy used in paper mills is derived
today from renewable biomass forms.
The paper industry goes a step further by arguing that
these activities have a positive effect on the environ-
ment:
• Forests are part of the cycle that helps remove CO2
from the atmosphere. This extends from trees to
wood and paper products, which continue to store
carbon and help reduce climate change. A point
that has been reinforced by the UN.
• The fact that paper products are recyclable and
renewable, means that their lifecycle can be be
extended, prolonging these benefits and reducing
waste. Other materials do not always share these
qualities.
17
 c. Concerns and myths addressed

MYTH EUROPEAN CORRECTIONS

Paper consumption must be Forests in the EU cover 44% of the total land area and they have
reduced drastically or else we will increased by 30% since 1950.
lose our forests in Europe.

All paper should be made from Although the paper industry in Europe is world champion in recy-
recovered fibre. cling, fresh fibres are necessary to keep the recycling loop going.
Cellulose fibres deteriorate with the recycling process until they be-
come too short for further use (after approximately eight times).

Besides, some high-quality paper grades can only be manufac-

tured from virgin fibres. Nevertheless, approximately 50% of the
fibre for paper and board production in Europe is recovered paper.
The paper industry encourages collection of used paper as a very
valuable raw material for new paper production.

Reducing paper will save trees. Mature trees are primarily harvested for the high-value clearwood
used in other industries like construction and furniture-making.

On average in Europe, the main raw fibrous materials used for

paper-making are53:

• 50% from recovered paper.

• 50% from the by-product of higher-valued industries:

• 13%54 comes from wood chips, saw dust and the tops of
the harvested trees which are generally unmarketable.
• 20-25%55 comes from thinnings which is a management
practice required during the lifecycle of a forest to ensure
that the forest remains healthy and is safe from risk of
fire.

In effect, the paper industry supports forest well-being, bio-diver-

sity and health by offering a valuable market for these by-products
that might otherwise go to waste.

A heavy industry paper production The paper industry is a large user of energy. However:
has a big carbon footprint.
a. Carbon sequestration in forests and the carbon fixed in recycled
paper products has a significant offsetting (positive) impact, there-
by lowering the carbon footprint of the paper industry.

b. The industry is already the largest user of renewable energy

in Europe. 54.5% of the energy used in European paper mills is
renewable biomass. The emissions from this biomass are carbon
neutral. The industry target is 56% by 2010.

53. CEPI. For more information, see www.cepi.org.

54. As wood chips or sawdust
55. Weaker or smaller trees are felled early on to allow space for the stronger trees to grow larger
56. Study of a reference PC in the UK indicates that a PC operating at full capacity for eight hours per day and 5 days per week releases 6.8kg of CO2 per week or 352 kg of
CO2 per annum. Given that a household PC is also used on weekends, the emissions can be estimated to be as high as 495kg of CO2 per annum. http://www.zerocar-
bonfootprint.co.uk/green_computing.htm
18 57. Ave CO2 emissions per European household is approx 20 tonnes per household per annum. This is based on figures from the International Energy Annual 2005 (7.93
tonnes of CO2 per capita x a std conversion rate of 2.80 persons per household). The CO2 of mail per household is based on a European average number of mailpieces of
260 units per capita (approx average of UPU data for Europe) converted using the std factor of 2.80 persons per household (727 items per household). This is then converted
to CO2 equivalents using an industry figure of 20gr of CO2 emitted per mailpiece (estimated average for Europe based on postal company CSR reports – collected & sum-
 Electronic communications are
more environmentally friendly than
paper.
We should be careful not to criticise
the IT sector too much as it does
offer considerable economic and
social benefits in Europe. Neverth-
less, we must challenge current
opinions where they are not cor-
rect.
Wrong: Electronic communications are not necessarily more en-
vironmentally friendly:
1. A single PC emits upwards of 495 kg of CO2 annually (more than
two percent of household emissions56).
This compares to 14 kg for the mail volume of an average European
household (less than 0.1% of household emissions)57.
2. The technical university of Stockholm (Kungliga Tekniska Hög-
skolan) concluded that, with a “European” mix of electricity and
waste management systems, the web-based newspaper with just
30 minutes reading time created 20% more CO2 emissions than
the physically distributed newspaper58.

d. Case studies and best practices
The pulp and paper industry has believed for a long-
time that competitiveness and sustainability should go
hand in hand. The industry believes that it can achieve
its critical environmental, social and economic goals.
To this end, CEPI have been reporting on the industry’s
sustainability initiatives since 2002. The third biennial
Sustainability Report was released for 2007:
• The industry aims to constantly reduce its CO2 emis-
sions in Europe. From 2003 to 2006, it had achieved
cuts of 15% which have contributed to a 10% fall in
total emissions (the difference reflects growing vol-
umes over the three-year period).
• The sector is responsible for 27% of the total produc-
tion of biomass-based energy in the EU. In 2006,
54.5% of the primary energy used in pulp and pa-
per mills in Europe came from renewable biomass
forms. It aims to grow this latter percentage to 56%
by 2010.
The industry has also adopted a series of innovations
in recent years as it aims to minimise the use of toxic
compounds involved in paper production. One of the
most innovative initiatives implemented in the paper
industry has been the phasing out of the highly pollut-
ing chlorine gas that was used in the paper bleaching
process. The two most common pulp bleaching prac-
tices now include:

• Around 16% of the production costs on average
come from energy consumption. Improving energy
efficiency therefore has strong economic as well as
environmental implications. The industry has been
able to produce most of its own electricity on-site
through combined heat and power technologies.
This has led to energy savings in the production pro-
cess of 30% in the last six years.
• Totally chlorine free (TCF) product to bleach without
the use for chlorine or chlorine compounds.
• Elemental chlorine free (ECF) products use chlorine
dioxide in place of chlorine in the bleaching process.
As a result, AOX emissions59 have been reduced by
a factor of 20 since 1991 and are now below levels of
detection.

marised by Pitney Bowes: http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:OlIQ_-lq73oJ:www.insight2foresight.co.uk/_attachments/3335871/Making%2520Mail%2520Relevant%2

520v2.ppt+CO2+of+a+transatlantic+flight,+6.6+minutes&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=be). The figures do not include production of materials which Pitney Bowes estimates
to costs 0.9-1.3gr CO2 per gr of paper (Pitney Bowes - The Environmental Impact of Mail: A Baseline, June 2008). Assuming a 20gr mail piece, this would, in practice, double
the CO2 emissions (to 28 kg CO2 per household). However, this is still less than 0.2% of annual household emissions.
58. http://www.forest.fi/smyforest/foresteng.nsf/95f358fafb7d84d8c2256f4b003725e1/5c5a49462ac05185c22574ba001ba997. Note that the study assumed that the 19
newspaper was only read once and by one person whereas the ENPA (www.ENPA.be) state that 140 million newspapers are distributed daily in Europe and are read by 280
million people. Further, the study does not consider the full cost of disposal of the PC and screen.
59. Adsorbable Organic Halides (AOX): AOX is a measure of the amount of chlorinated compounds in an effluent.
 Content
a. Overview of the communications
industry
Magazine and Newspaper Publishing
There are over 15,000 magazine publishers located
throughout Europe, many of which are Small and
Medium Sized Enterprises. These companies pub-
lish more than 50,000 magazine titles in Europe and
reach, on average, 80% of European adults.
300 million Europeans read magazines on a regular,
consistent basis.
More than 20 billion copies of magazines are sold ev-
ery year in Europe which generate annual revenues in
excess of 40 billion euros. Magazine publishers em-
ploy more than 300,000 European citizens – although
part of this figure includes flow-on employment in the
related advertising, distribution, printing, design and
paper manufacturing industries.
The newspaper industry generates a turnover of ap-
proximately 43.5 billion euros each year60. It sells
more than 140 million newspapers everyday in Eu-
20 60. http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/ict/policy/publ-ind/sr01-eur-newspaper-market.pdf
rope which are read by over 280 million people (nb:
an average of two people reading each paper sold).
Direct Marketing
The European direct marketing sector represents
business revenues of over 75 billion euros and em-
ploys over two million people directly, and many more
indirectly, within the EU.
Direct Marketing is a commercial communications
(strategic) tool which is of considerable importance to
governments, fundraisers, charities as well as busi-
nesses and consumers. The Direct and Interactive
Marketing Industry covers issues such as, for exam-
ple, catalogues, direct mail and e-communications. It
is a popular communications channel for marketers
and advertisers.
The use of Direct Mail as a medium has the following
benefits:
• Companies, governments, local authorities and
NGOs can inform their target audience of products
or services they may be interested in and hence
widen the choice for Europeans. An important ben-
efit of Direct Mail is to offer services/information that
people wish to receive; the opportunity for charities
to reach people in order to get support and funding,
and for politicians to send their messages to their
electorate;
• It enables better targeted campaigns via the main
policy guidelines which are used by Direct Mail such
as Preference Services and Suppression Files;
• Start-up companies or small companies with small
budgets use targeted direct mail to start their mar-
keting programmes.
• A measurable return on investment (ROI). The entire
DM chain is measurable, making it, as a strategy,
very beneficial to its users.
The Direct Marketing industry seeks to maximise the
response rate of all its communication campaigns, as
this is widely accepted to be the most environmentally
sensible and cost-effective way of operating. Never-
theless, direct marketing organisations are incorpo-
rating environmental sustainability as a key element
of their corporate strategies.
b. Facts
A recent study by PostComm in the UK shows that
businesses regard mail as ‘core’ or ‘critical’ to their
success despite increased e-communication compe-
tition.
The importance of mail to business users features
strongly in the 2008 Business Customer Survey pub-
lished in October 2008 by Postcomm, the UK indepen-
dent regulator of postal services.
Almost half of the survey respondents regard mail
as a ‘core activity’ of their business, and a further 31
% say it is critical for communicating with their cus-
tomers. Only 17 % report that mail is used simply for
administrative purposes. This year, almost a quarter
of respondents said they were using more than one
provider of mail services.
The effect of electronic communication on the postal
market – and ways in which the internet and mail
complement each other – are clearly demonstrated
in Postcomm’s annual review of the postal market, the
2008 Competitive Market Review, also published on
2 October.
Tim Brown, Chief Executive, Postcomm, said:
“Our annual Business Customer Survey is a valuable
guide to the way businesses regard mail services.
This year’s survey shows that the competitive mar-
ket is spreading to include smaller mailers. Despite
the increasing challenge from electronic media,
49% of the companies surveyed said mail was core
to their business.”
The Direct Marketing industry aims to avoid or mini-
mise waste. It achieves this by ensuring, amongst
other things, that:
a. the campaign is designed to maximise the re-
sponse from recipients.
b. the database of names and addresses is accurate,
clean and up-to-date, which will minimise irrelevant
or undeliverable items being sent out.
c. the campaign materials have a smart design, using
the minimum amount of materials, while not com-
promising the response rate.
To this end, under the leadership of FEDMA, the Direct
Marketing industry has adopted a Recommendation
on Direct Mail and the Environment, as a tool for direct
marketers to reduce the environmental impact of their
activities (see best practices below).
21
 c. Concerns and myths addressed

MYTH EUROPEAN CORRECTIONS

More than 30% of direct mail is not The DM industry aims to maximise the response rate from its cam-
opened. paigns. Most European DM Associations operate a Robinson list
system where the public can opt-out of receiving DM information.

It should be noted however, that Europeans enjoy receiving mail

that informs them of new and exciting products and services. In
Belgium, 97% of people check the post daily, 74% open the mail im-
mediately. 80% of all DM is opened – with an average reading time
of two minutes. This is known as the “mail moment”.

In the UK, levels of opening (67%) and reading (45%) increased in

2005 (Consumer Direct Mail Trends Survey 2006). 70% of custom-
ers keep direct mail received for later use.

The Direct mail industry has no In the UK, Direct mail expenditure stands at £8.6 billion (DMA
value. Participation Media 2005). Average consumer spending is £577
through direct mail per year.

This makes Direct Mail one of the most valued marketing media.

Responses from DM campaigns In the UK, 56% of consumers have purchased after receiving ad-
are low. vertising mail – warm / targeted mailings perform best, with 38% of
consumers buying from these at some point.

The experience of buying products driven by advertising mail is a

satisfying one for 82% of consumers.

A response rate of 5% implies by As Direct Mail is used in the so called “media mix”, its response
default a waste of 95%. rate is actually much higher than an average 5%, but that is not
measured as such.

Targeting is an important feature of Direct Mail. Advanced target-

ing techniques and continuous improvements help to limit excess
production. However, Direct Mail is also advertising for the product
or brand, therefore non-response does not constitute waste.

After consumers have used the information, the material becomes

a recyclable product that can be used again and again if treated
properly. This is no different from an empty drinks can which is dis-
carded correctly so that it can be reused.

22
 Direct Mail is responsible for the Direct Mail accounts for 1% of the total paper consumption in an
size of waste landfills. average country.

Across Europe, 90% of the paper used in DM campaigns is recy-

cled. Indeed, in most communities, only a fraction of a % of landfill
consists of not recycled direct marketing materials. This figure is
slightly higher in local communities where there are no paper-recy-
cling facilities available.

The industry encourages consumers and local communities to re-

cycle paper, so that it can be used again.

In the UK, the paper industry estimates that direct mail (addressed
and unaddressed mail, and loose inserts in newspapers and mag-
azines) accounts for approximately 500,000 tonnes of paper per
year or just 4.4% of paper usage. It is also widely reported that less
than 1% ends up on landfill sites – a figure which the UK DMA is
aiming to reduce further.

Junk mail and catalogues are clog- DM contains relevant and interesting information. As mentioned in
ging our mail boxes. the first myth, European citizens open most DM material delivered
daily.

Opt-out via the national preference service lists is an option for

those who are truly uninterested.

Electronic DM is more effective and The most important aspect of any campaign is to maximize the re-
more environmentally friendly. sponse. UK studies have shown that campaigns combining mail
and internet yield up to an additional 25% response rate.

Electronic communications are A recent study in Denmark61 has demonstrated that despite the
more efficient in reaching custom- possibility for the Danes to receive communications by e-mail, on-
ers and achieving the objectives of line banking and SMS or to visit websites for information, there is
the communication. still a large preference for receiving paper based communications.

Replies showed that, regardless of the type of information, the letter

is preferred for receiving information from businesses and public
authorities. For receiving information from businesses, 62% prefer
a letter. For receiving information from public authorities, 58% pre-
fer a letter62.

The letter is also a clear winner when it comes to receiving infor-

mation from trade unions, humanitarian organisations and sports
clubs. 57% prefer to be contacted by letter.

In Belgium, some banks that switched from paper to electronic a

few years ago are now returning to paper based communications
with their customers. In addition, they are not only communicating
with their customer in the traditional way – bank statements – but
they are adding advertising on/in the envelope63.

61. The survey (Qualitative strengths of the letter in a digitised everyday life) by Tranberg Marketing
62. More information on http://www.postdanmark.dk/contentfull.dk?lang=en
23
63. FEDMA
 d. Best practices
FEDMA offers a comprehensive environmental guide
to all its members when developing a campaign.
FEDMA’s Recommendation for Direct Mail and the
Environment can be found at http://www.fedma.org/
environment.
Examples of the key points included in the guide, and
their corresponding best practices, are:
Efficient data management
• Change of address – most postal operators have ef-
ficient change of address systems in place. It is es-
sential that these files are used to clean marketers’
databases, as well as using any returns (“nixies”) to
remove addresses with no change of address. For
more information on national change of address
databases, see the Annex of the guide.
Usage of suppression files
• La Poste: “Alliage” product: This product is aimed at
identifying every returned mail of an addressed mail
campaign. Within 12 days, outdated addresses are
taken out of the data base. All returned mails are
recycled.
24
Unaddressed mail
• Mediapost: Regular updating of Mediapost data-
base including the list of addresses with ‘stop pub’
stickers which offers campaign cost reductions by
taking it into account in the volume of material print-
ed (4% less).
• Mediapost “Municipost” product: Possibility for local
government to reach 100% of households (including
those who have a “stop pub” sticker).
Environmentally friendly design and production of
direct mail and promotions material
• Mediapost: Life cycle analysis of a non addressed
mail campaign conducted with Carrefour along-
side the publication of a guide on how to minimise
at each stage the environmental impact of a cam-
paign. Carrefour has demonstrated the success of
this approach by reducing by 5% in 2 years the vol-
ume of paper consumed and by increasing to 90%
the share of recycled paper in its campaign.
The Production
a. Overview of the printing industry
The European graphic industry employs over 870,000
people and has a turnover of more than 100 billion
euros. It has a reputation for quality. It is increasingly
committed to environmental and sustainable devel-
opment policies and, thanks to new technologies and
processes, can offer a complete range of services
along the print value chain.
The printing industry has changed significantly in the
last decades, and most printing plants are today high-
ly digitized and modern.
Printed products have long enjoyed a generally posi-
tive image, due to the print industry’s familiarity with
consumers. In 2002 the European Commission pro-
duced a study on the image of the forest-based sec-
tors. The printing sector had overall a positive image,
where printed products were said to be important
bearers of information and culture. The report also
presents an almost unanimous image of a dynamic
and modern industry. The industry was perceived to
be very innovative, notably in the rapid development
of new technologies, mostly referring to graphic de-
sign and pre-press as well as digital technologies in
print.
b. Facts
The industry is perceived by the general public to
have some negative impact on the environment. This
is mainly associated to using inks, colouring agents
and other chemicals which can be harmful to nature
as well as to the health of workers. Nevertheless, the
industry is investing heavily to limit its environmental
impact:
Pre-press activities have benefited from many techno-
logical developments, which paved the way for digital
image data processing. The development of modern
digital technology also reduced the environmental
impact of pre-press activities significantly. Direct im-
aging of “image carriers”, such as printing plates in
offset printing or printing cylinders, is now widely used
in many printing processes. The best known among
these technologies is CTP (Computer to plate) in offset
and flexo printing.
Printing and finishing according to customer require-
ments, run length, and delivery time different printing
processes are used.
• Offset printing (web and sheet fed) are the most
common printing processes for marketing products.
Web offset printing requires operators to take mea-
sures to prevent VOC waste gases emitted during
the drying phase (eliminated by high-performance
incinerators) while sheetfed offset is not considered
to have a significant impact on air emissions. In
sheet fed offset, alternative inks, often called “eco-
inks” which are not based on organic solvents but on
vegetable oils, are also available to printers. How-
ever, experience is still missing on how far they can
substitute the traditional inks.
• Publication gravure printing is used for printing
jobs with large circulations such as magazines and
catalogues and it represents approximately 25% of
printing activities throughout Europe. Gravure print-
ing uses an engraved cylinder as the printing form
and relatively liquid inks. The inks are kept liquid by
a precise proportion of a very powerful solvent, tolu-
ene. Very efficient vapour recovery units enable a
recovery rate close to 100%. Newer gravure inks with
reduced toluene content are increasingly used with-
in the industry, and toluene traces in the final copies
can now be reduced to 0.04% of the total input.
• More recent developments in Digital Printing allow
for the direct transfer of a digital image or text onto a
substrate, such as paper, foil, carton, etc. It produces
little waste in terms of paper and chemicals used.
The ink or toner does not absorb into the paper, as
does conventional ink, but forms a layer on the sur-
face.
These new techniques allow every print job to be dif-
ferent, and thereby open the field for personalisation
and customization of messages on each print. This
facility contributes very positively towards increased
performance in commercial communications and
thus to reducing environmental impacts wherever
possible.
25
 Waste management

Waste water: The digitalization of many pre-press

operations – regardless of the printing method used
- fundamentally transform operations, and reduced
drastically waste water impact.

• Waste materials: The ink manufacturing industry

is implementing the outcome of several European
directives on the potential toxicity of chemical sub-
stances known as European Directives on the Label-
ling and Classification of Chemical Substances, and
more recently European printers contributed to the
successful implementation of the new European law
on the use and control of chemicals (REACH) and
waste management practices.

Ensuring a high level of performance and safe use of

inks has been a constant concern of European print-
ing ink manufacturers. EUPIA, their European associa-
tion, established a regularly revised “exclusion list” of
chemical substances, which facilitates the compliance
of members.

Printing plants are also following strict regulations

which require to treat waste materials heavily loaded
with residues as “special waste” avoiding thereby dis-
posal via landfilling.

Recycling

The European printing industry is a partner in the pa-

per chain, both at European and national level, and
contributes in developing best practices for an efficient
recovery and recycling of end of life printed products.
The latest state of the art in this field can be found in
the 2006-2010 European Declaration on Paper Recy-
cling. For more information go to: www.paperrecov-
ery.org.

Climate change

The industry (via Intergraf) has formed a task force

on CO2 emissions, to investigate possible guidelines
for companies to identify and reduce their impact on
climate change. Effectively reducing emissions and
saving energy has become a priority amongst printing
companies today. The task force is currently looking
into different models of calculation in order to find one
suitable for the whole industry.

26
c. Concerns and myths addressed
MYTH
Vegetable inks should always be
used in printing to reduce environ-
mental impacts.
Printers want to print large runs to
sell more to their clients.
Digital printing is better for the envi-
ronment than traditional methods
such as offset and heat set.
Printing is energy intensive and is
therefore contributing to climate
change.
Using e-mail and internet is more
environmentally friendly than print.
EUROPEAN CORRECTIONS
Vegetable inks are not an option for all printing processes, but only
in sheet fed offset printing. This limitation excludes automatically
large run printing jobs as well as very short runs.
The main objective for printers is the satisfaction of customers and
the possibility to build a strong long-term commercial relationship
with their customers. They are therefore committed to fulfilling
the needs and wishes of customers. Printers have the adequate
equipment to deal with small and large runs. Printers are also key
partners in the personalisation and customisation of printed prod-
ucts and variable runs.
Each printing process has its specific environmental impact with
adequate solutions. Ozone exposure levels in the work environ-
ment is the impact commonly connected with digital printing. They
remain however within international health standards. VOC emis-
sions, de-inking of toner as well as end of life treatment of empty
cartridges and other consumables also need to be taken into con-
sideration.
Printing shorter runs with digital technology, although lowering
paper consumption is therefore not always the most sustainable
option.
As for all human activities, printing has an impact on climate
change. However, within the print chain, the share of CO2 emis-
sions from printing amounts to only 10-20% of the entire finished
product. Printers work in cooperation with suppliers in order to re-
duce CO2 emissions along the entire value chain.
The use of e-mails and internet involves specific environmental im-
pacts. These range from waste consumables (toner cartridges etc)
up to waste handling of computers and servers, etc…
Furthermore, increased traffic on servers and PCs also has a con-
siderable impact on energy consumption. See the previous chap-
ter.
27
 d. Case studies and best practices
Inks: Vegetable based inks use corn, walnut, coconut,
linseed, canola and soy-bean oils which are all renew-
able resources (unlike petroleum). Vegetable based
inks frequently have a lower percentage of VOC’s64,
which contribute to air and water pollution. Compared
to petroleum inks, less vegetable ink is needed for a
given print job.
Regarding the traditional inks, the ink manufacturing
industry adopted a self regulation known as “CEPE Ex-
clusion List”, which ensures that the inks do not con-
tain heavy metals such as mercury, lead or cadmium,
which are most often used in brightly coloured inks.
Efforts are also carried out in reducing the impact of
dampening solutions in offset printing, via reducing
or even eliminating isopropanol.
Cleaning agents also benefit from the development
of better targeted products, reducing the volatility of
solvents and thereby VOC emissions.
Reducing the use of paper and energy
Printers display many efforts in improving the prepa-
ration procedure of presses and thereby reduce the
amount of proof copies.
Similarly printers devote a lot of attention to improved
energy management strategies, which is beneficial
for the environment and for production costs in the
plant.
Industry projects
Printing industry federations around Europe are
continuously making efforts to help printers in their
environmental work. Below are some examples of
projects
• Substitution of chemicals in the graphic industry –
Denmark
• The Danish industry federation (GA)’s intention is to
create the basis for an improvement of the environ-
mental presentation of the total Danish graphic in-
dustry by preparing the business for the substitution
of problematic substances, most of all trying to be
abreast of the REACH related substitution demands.
28 64. volatile organic compound (VOC): Any organic compound which evaporates readily to the atmosphere.
65. Within this industry, the corrugated board industry has a turnover of 20 Billion euros per annum and employs 98,000 people across Europe while the envelope industry
has a turnover of 2 Billion euros and employs around 20,000 persons.
• Health and Safety Internet – United Kingdom
• The British Printing Industry Federation provides
online support for their members to improve their
performance in Health & Safety. The tools include an
“H&S Health check and Induction” as well as guid-
ance on new and upcoming topics.
• Prevention of waste paper - Belgium
• The Belgian printers’ federation, Febelgra, has de-
veloped a guide that identifies the causes for waste
paper during the procedure of print production. The
guide also contains many suggestions on how to re-
duce waste paper that occurs during the process.
With this guidance, companies managed to reduce
their waste paper by up to 50%.
• Print CO2 Geprüft - Germany
• The German Printers’ Federation, BVDM has created
a model for companies to calculate and offset their
CO2 emissions. The tool will be available to mem-
bers of the federation, and the results are presented
in a certificate.
Energy efficiency is the objective of several national
or European projects including identifying areas for
improvement and offering benchmarking opportuni-
ties for printers.
The Carrier
a. Overview of the boxes and
envelopes converting sector
The paper and board converting industry generates
revenues of 60 billion euros per annum and employs
about 380,000 people in the EU (CITPA65). The main
products produced by the sector are paper and board
packaging (including corrugated boxes, folding box-
es, beverage cartons and paper sacks), sanitary and
other household paper products, office stationary,
envelopes, wallpaper, bookbinding, specialty papers
and many other paper and board products essential
for daily life.
The industry provides a safe and secure basis to trans-
port goods from the manufacturer to the final con-
sumer. In effect, the business ensures that the product
is received in a form that is still ‘fit-for-purpose’. In
the absence of the packaging and envelope sector,
consumers have a significantly higher risk of product
damage and/or privacy breaches.
following standard testing procedures. The studies
and plant trial were able to conclusively show that:
• There was no macro or microstickie formation from
the glues used in the trial.

Similarly to the paper and printing industry, the con-
verting sector is also a strong supporter of recycling
initiatives in Europe. Indeed they are a signatory to the
European Declaration on Paper Recycling which com-
mits to supporting activities that will help to hit a 66%
recycling target by 2010 (across all paper grades).
b. Facts
The converting industry is always looking to meet de-
mands on environmental performance. By building
on a solid scientific basis through lifecycle analysis,
the industry is continuously working to improve its
environmental performance, for instance on energy
use, resource use, eco-design and recycling.
Paper and board packaging remains the EU cham-
pion for recycling:
• 92% of its fibres are from recovered paper,
• The industry currently recycles over 84% of its case
material (corrugated box) packaging. This easily ex-
ceeds the target set in Directive 94/62/EC on pack-
aging and packaging waste (set at 60% by 2008).
• The window film could be completely removed. The
drum screening removed the large fragments while
the secondary screening removed all other frag-
ments.
• There was no significant modification of the pro-
cessed water characteristics.
• The optical characteristics of the pulp were not
negatively affected in the envelope mix. This result
is consistent whether using the brightness values (as
shown) or the ERIC68 values.
The study found that it was possible to recycle enve-
lopes manufactured from standard commercial com-
ponents within the graphic paper recycling stream
without any negative impact on the final recycling
product. What is considered as unwanted material in
the recycled graphic paper stream today can actually
be a valuable source of quality cellulose fibre for recy-
cling mills tomorrow. More information is available by
contacting FEPE AISBL at www.fepe.org.

The European Commission confirms that the volume

of paper and board packaging recycled is more than
half of all the packaging materials recycled in the EU.
Thus the industry has been an essential contributor
to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive tar-
gets66.

c. Case studies and best

practices
Envelopes: The Totally Recyclable Envelope

A study was conducted by the Envelution Forum to

develop guidelines for envelope manufacturers in Eu-
rope to produce a recyclable envelope. The study was
conducted by the Centre Technique du Papier (CTP67)

66. www.cepi.org + www.paperonline.org

67. Centre Technique du Papier - GRENOBLE - FRANCE
29
68. ERIC = Effective Residual Ink Concentration
 Envelopes: Paper by Nature Ecolabel

The European envelope industry recognises that con-

verted paper products have an impact on the environ-
ment during their life - from the forest management to
the chemicals used for printing and the water and air
emissions that occur during the converting process.
Accordingly, they have been involved in a project to
develop a new European ecolabel for converted paper
products. The ecolabel was launched in mid-2008.
The objective of the Paper by Nature (‘PBN’) Ecolabel
is to offer the first clear and trustworthy reference for
European consumers of converted paper products 69.

The programme and specific criteria have been de-

veloped in consultation with a leading environmental
NGO.

The PBN Ecolabel applies to converted paper products

such as envelopes, books and pads and filing prod-
ucts. It takes into account the potential environmental
impacts of the product:

• Raw materials: it covers responsible forest manage-

ment and paper manufacturing.

• Converting process: it covers all environmental im-

pacts potentially generated by the paper converting
process: energy, emissions to water and air and the
use of substances harmful for the environment dur-
ing the process.

The certification is regularly reviewed and monitored.

Every three years, there is a general review covering
the entire set of criteria.

For more information, please refer to the website:

www.paperbynature.com.

69. Labeling initiatives have already been set up to measure the environmental
30 standards relating to paper products. Some of these certifications are country
specific while others are related to manufacturers or NGOs. However, none of
these are pan-European and apply to converted paper products from raw mate-
rial to the end product.
The delivery
a. Overview of the Postal
industry
The European postal sector generates revenues of 47
billion euros and employs more than two million peo-
ple directly. Most incumbent operators are the largest
employers in their country. The main activities are mail
transportation and delivery.
The industry remains one of the key infrastructural
services to support the flow of information across
Europe. UPU (Universal Postal Union) figures confirm
that the penetration of the mail network across Eu-
rope is almost 100%. In other words, mail operators
are capable of providing communications to 100% of
European citizens.
The essential nature of the service network has, once
again, been recognised during the recently concluded
review of the European postal policy. While the Euro-
pean directive was finally ratified by the European Par-
liament in early 2008, it ensures that a basic universal
service provision remains an important pillar in the
industry – guaranteeing a five-day a week delivery at
an acceptable service level at an affordable price. Ef-
fectively, the European Institutions acknowledged the
strategically important role of written communication
in order to keep citizens informed.
• Studies from countries where the e-communications
have high penetration levels (i.e. Sweden and Den-
mark) have revealed similar results.
• In Belgium, the mail moment studies provide these
same insights (for more details, see page 22 on the
creative message).
European Public Postal Operators within PostEurop
(i.e. 48 members from the EU & CEEC’s) emit between
8 and 11 millions tons of CO2 annually. Of this between
5 and 8 millions tons of CO2 can be attributed to the
25 EU operators71. Accordingly, the reduction of CO2
emissions is the most important environmental chal-
lenge for European public postal operators:
• Approximately 50 % of these CO2 emissions result
from the use of road transport, with aviation and
building energy usage being significant contribu-
tors.
• Information from postal operators suggests that it
costs between 25-35g of CO2 to deliver a mailpiece
(from sender to receiver).
The industry continuously strives to optimise its domes-
tic and cross border networks. Optimising networks
allows operators to improve efficiency significantly, for
example by reducing specific mileages in mail delivery
and by improving the use of air fleet by adding more
tonnes of air freight without adding flights.

b. Facts

The European postal industry offers an extremely

valuable service to all citizens. Studies reinforce the
fact that post remains highly valued by recipients.

• UK Postcomm70 study of mail vs. e-mail (in 2008)

revealed that consumers considered mail as a
more personal form of communication compared
to email, and which left them feeling a more valued
customer. They also viewed the company as more
professional. Finally, they were more likely to react to
the mail received.

70. Postcomm is the postal regulator in the United Kingdom

71. These figures are based on studies undertaken by Post Danmark and include emissions associated with transport activity, building energy usage and sub-
contractors for both mail and parcel services.
31
 c. Concerns and myths addressed

MYTH EUROPEAN CORRECTIONS

Mail is a large polluter in the mix of Mail represents 0.1% of total household CO2 emissions in Europe .
household waste in Europe. The 14 kg of CO2 emitted yearly is the equivalent of :

• One 70 km car journey

• Five Cheeseburgers
• Nine litres of milk
• 6.6 min transatlantic flight

All companies should convert to A single PC emits upwards of 495 kg of CO2 annually - more than
electronic communication. It is two percent of household emissions .
better for the environment and also
what both customers and compa-
nies want.

The big myth: Computers and the BUT they are not necessarily better for the environment!!
internet – they are useful for us all.

People do not want paper adver- Studies in Belgium have shown that sales results at Carrefour can
tisement / junk mail. be up to 50% lower if door-to-door advertisement is not delivered
or not delivered on time.

People want paper-based advertising and they make use of it

when they receive it. 52% of households say they purchase prod-
ucts and services seen in advertising mail they receive .

All mail is highly relevant to a very large audience by providing tar-

geted intelligent communications that enhance customer relation-
ships and create value for all parties involved.

72. Ave CO2 emissions per European household is approx 20 tonnes per household per annum. This based on figures from the International Energy Annual 2005 (7.93
tonnes of CO2 per capita x a std conversion rate of 2.80 persons per household).
73. The CO2 of mail per household is based on a European average number of mailpieces of 260 units per capita ((approx average of UPU data for Europe) converted using
the std factor of 2.80 persons per household (727 items per household). . This is then converted to CO2 equivalents using an industry figure of 20gm of CO2 emitted per
mailpiece (estimated average for Europe based on postal company CSR reports – collected & summarised by Pitney Bowes: http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:OlIQ_-
32 lq73oJ:www.insight2foresight.co.uk/_attachments/3335871/Making%2520Mail%2520Relevant%2520v2.ppt+CO2+of+a+transatlantic+flight,+6.6+minutes&hl=en&ct=
clnk&cd=1&gl=be). The figures do not include production of materials which Pitney Bowes estimates to costs 0.9-1.3gr CO2 per gr of paper (Pitney Bowes - The Environmen-
tal Impact of Mail: A Baseline, June 2008). Assuming a 20gr mail piece, this would, in practice, double the CO2 emissions (to 28 kg CO2 per household). However, this is still
less than 0.2% of annual household emissions.
 Mail order catalogues are The energy needed to create the catalogues and deliver them to
polluting. households, followed by placing an order and delivering it to the
homes needs to be compared with multiple families taking their
car to drive to shops (gas CO2 pollution). It reduces constraints on
storage facilities, heating, cooling, cleaning etc.

Door-to-door is the worst and most Postal operators have adapted the system to ensure that only
polluting form of paper based com- those areas where parts of the population actually use it receive
munications. the door-to-door communications.

Segmentation has been introduced and the benefit of levels of seg-

mentation for senders is that target audiences are reached and
thus better cost control is realised as well as a lesser impact on the
environment.

Paper advertising is not effective as Out of all media, direct mail has demonstrated to have the highest
a medium. return and therefore to be the most efficient means of communica-
tion to large audiences. Efficiency should be seen on the level of ROI
for the sending company but also impact overall on society and the
environment. The effort to achieve sales is greater for media other
than paper based communications.

74. Pitney Bowes (Making Mail Relevant) http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:OlIQ_-lq73oJ:www.insight2foresight.co.uk/_attachments/3335871/Making%2520Mail%25

20Relevant%2520v2.ppt+CO2+of+a+transatlantic+flight,+6.6+minutes&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=be).
75. Study of a reference PC in the UK indicates that a PC operating at full capacity for eight hours per day and 5 days per week releases 6.8kg of CO2 per week
or 352 kg of CO2 per annum. Given that a household PC is also used on weekends, the emissions can be estimated to be as high as 495kg of CO2 per annum.
http://www.zerocarbonfootprint.co.uk/green_computing.htm
76. www.usps.com/directmail/_pdf/04MailMoment.pdf
77. Door-to-door is the delivery technique whereby a postal operator will deliver identical non addressed and not franked mail pieces to every household in a designated
33
area.
 d. Case studies and best practices
PostEurop GHG program.78
The main goals of PostEurop’s environmental pro-
gram are to:
• Reduce CO2 emissions by 10% across all programme
participants by 2012.
• Combat the causes of climate change – our top en-
vironmental priority.
• Minimize our use of natural resources such as fossil
fuels and wood-based products.
• Increase our use of alternative fuels (e.g. biogas).
• Promote our innovative transportation methods and
alternative vehicles
• Optimize our network using state-of-the-art IT tools
to avoid unnecessary trips.
In April 2008, 16 operators had committed to the pro-
gramme: Österreichische Post (Austria), CTT-Correios
(Portugal), Deutsche Post World Net (Germany), De
Post / La Poste (Belgium), Hellenic Post – ELTA (Greece),
Itella (Finland), Groupe La Poste (France), Magyar Pos-
ta (Hungary), MaltaPost p.l.c (Malta), Post Danmark
(Denmark), Poste Italiane, (Italy), Posten AB (Sweden),
Posten Norge (Norway), Royal Mail Group Ltd (United
Kingdom), Swiss Post (Swiss), TNT (Netherlands).
“Waste not” policy at Royal Mail.
Royal Mail Group (RM) is minimising the amount of
waste created. Royal Mail’s six environmental targets
are:
• Target one: A reduction in normalised Group wide
fleet fossil fuel usage by 14% from current levels by
2010;
• Target two: A reduction in normalised energy con-
sumption for building energy use by 10% from cur-
rent levels by 2010;
• Target three: An increase in the usage of renewable
energy to 50% of total building energy use by 2010;
• Target four: A reduction in the normalised quantity
of containerised solid waste sent to landfill by 25%
34 78. http://www.sustainablepost.eu/23.html
from current levels by 2010; and
• Target five: A reduction in normalised water use by
5% from current levels by 2010.
Royal Mail’s most significant environmental impact re-
lates to its extensive vehicle fleet, for which total emis-
sions amounted to 425,707 tonnes of CO2 in the last
financial year. Over the last 12 months, the review of
its multi modal transport operations has resulted in a
much smaller environmental footprint for the medium
to long distance operations. Daily CO2 emissions from
the trucking operations have been reduced by 19% as
a result of a much restructured network with less road
miles, more use of air and no rail.
In common with other businesses RM’s activities cre-
ate waste which has to be responsibly disposed of in
line with duty of care obligations. The waste ranges
from hazardous waste such as vehicle oil and brake
fluid from vehicle services workshops, through to pal-
lets, catering waste and general office waste. They are
compliant with evolving legislation relating to waste
and are improving waste handling over and above
the legal requirements. RM is also reviewing the pos-
sibility of developing recycling ‘centres of excellence’.
RM is working with a waste contractor to develop
more effective waste management and minimisation
programmes. They are expanding their recycling ca-
pability and have invited specialists to give input on
waste segregation and recycling.
RM discharges its electrical waste legal obligation
under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
directive through membership of the Valpack compli-
ance scheme.
Norway Post goes green
Norway Post has announced a new brand strategy
by choosing green as the main colour for its Nordic
postal and logistics operations. The new brand and
symbol of Norway Post’s Nordic operations will be
launched later in 2008. In Norway, the company will
keep its well-known red colour.
The new strategy of Norway Post aims to make vis-
ible its range of Norwegian and Nordic products and
services and to equip the group to face the major
changes in the market. By choosing the colour green,
Norway Post is building further on the successful posi-
tion and good visibility that its express subsidiary Box
has achieved in the Nordic region.
Swiss Post Goes for Another 10% Reduction
Swiss Post has invested CHF 135 million in the past ten
years in more than 100 environmental protection ini-
tiatives, most of which, it says, have produced positive
financial results.
Between 2000 and 2005, the postal operator reduced
its CO2 emissions by 9%; it has pledged a further 10 %
reduction within the next five years under the PostEu-
rop climate protection programme.
Swiss Post sees sustainable management as an op-
portunity to preserve resources, reduce costs and cre-
ate an energy and CO2 efficient business. It has thirty
natural gas-powered vehicles in service, powered
mostly by CO2-neutral Kompogas which emits 60 to
95 % fewer pollutants than petrol or diesel vehicles.
There are plans to expand the natural gas fleet as
better vehicles come on to the market and the fuelling
station network grows.
Optimum use of rail transport within time and finan-
cial constraints enabled a 1% reduction in the climate
impact of goods transport between 2000 and 2005.
Currently, rail accounts for 58 % of transport. In the
PostBus passenger fleet, Swiss Post is buying vehicles
with the latest emission technology and is fitting them
with soot particle filters. All Postbuses meet the En-
hanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle standard,
which exceeds the international eurosO 5 standard for
diesel engines. Swiss Post has analysed its employ-
ees’ commuting routes and has encouraged them to
use the more environmentally friendly public transport
by offering a 20% discount on commuter passes.
In its buildings, since the beginning of 2008, Swiss
Post has drawn 100% of its electricity from renewable
sources. Between 2000 and 2005, the postal operator
increased its use of energy from renewable sources; it
reduced electricity consumption by 10%.
Swiss Post measures the effect of all its activities on
the environment by converting them into a CO2 equiv-
alent. Overall, between 2000 and 2005, it reduced its
environmental impact by 15% and cut its CO2 emis-
sions by 9%.
Correos Spain Tests Electric Bicycles and Vans
Correos is using electric bicycles and mail delivery
vans in pilot projects in historical city centres and ur-
ban pedestrian areas. It has purchased nine bicycles
and five vans, which, although more expensive than
conventional vehicles, are said to be more economi-
cal in terms of use, maintenance and durability.
De Post/La Poste Belgium Sets Reduction Targets
In 2007, De Post/La Poste has undertaken to reduce its
energy consumption by 7.5 % and its CO2 emissions
by an average of 10% by 2012. In 2008 these targets
were increased to 30-35% for the same period.
The postal operator is five years into a programme to
replace its fleet with less polluting vehicles. At the end
of 2006, it put fifty electric mopeds into service. Dur-
ing 2007, De Post/La Poste conducted a systematic
analysis of its energy consumption at all sites. It is em-
ploying new technology where feasible. For example,
it applied solar film to the façade of its headquarters in
Brussels rather than install an energy-hungry cooling
system.
Waste management is based on separating paper
and cardboard and dangerous waste such as neon
strip lights, printer cartridges, photocopier toner and
spent batteries.
Plastic and PVC bags used for international mail trans-
port are recycled. Water pressure reducers at nearly
100 sites have reduced water consumption and when
buildings are renovated, De Post/La Poste installs low
flow equipment such as dual flush toilets.
DHL Sweden switches to alternative Fuels
DHL Sweden has announced it will invest about euros
800,000 in the next three years in 250 vehicles that
run on alternative fuels.
It plans to replace diesel vehicles with the more en-
vironmentally friendly vehicles as leases expire. In
addition, the company will cover the cost of a further
fifty vehicles operated by any forwarders contracted to
DHL who make the switch.
DHL Sweden currently has about twenty biogas-pow-
ered vehicles, including five heavy trucks and fifteen
delivery vans. It intends to convert all its diesel-pow-
ered vans to alternative fuels.
35
 Magyar Posta Sees Solution in Solar Power
Magyar Posta aims to increase the parts of its energy
use that comes from renewable sources including so-
lar power. At the National Logistic Centre, the postal
operator is installing a solar water heating system to
provide 6,000 litres of hot water a day.
The ECOpost concept is for buildings designed and
built for lower energy consumption.
Poste Italiane Supports EU Energy Reduction
Environmental measures are a key element of Poste
Italiane’s programme for Corporate Social Responsi-
bility.
The company intends to achieve the 20% reduction in
energy consumption by 2020 called for in European
Union objectives. In conjunction with this, it plans to
use energy from renewable sources, and for exam-
ple, has already converted its heating boilers from oil
to methane.
Poste Italiane operates 27,500 motorcycles and
15,000 vehicles. In 2005, it began replacing its fleet
with vehicles meeting the most up-to-date pollution
standards. In 2006, it increased by 53 % to 800 the
number of natural gas-fuelled vehicles and in 2007, it
increased the number further to 1,500.
Trials on vehicles powered by alternative fuels have
included electric vehicles equipped with gel-lead
batteries that could eventually replace endothermic
motorcycles; electric and hybrid quadricycles and as-
sisted push thrust bicycles.
Tests carried out in Milan last year involved a hybrid
light truck with an electric engine for traction and an
endothermic engine working as a generator to charge
the battery.
In addition to activities meant to reduce energy con-
sumption and CO2 emissions, Poste Italiane has a
waste separation and recycling system.
TNT’s Planet Me: Tackling our environmental im-
pact
In 2007, TNT was responsible for producing 1,019k
tonnes of CO2, a total that rises to about 2,500k
tonnes if you include subcontractors (excluding major
acquisitions).
36
With the current level of technology and reach, there
are no feasible alternatives in the short term to
eliminate emissions entirely from operations. TNT’s
response is a new programme, initiated last year en-
titled ‘Planet Me.’ Its vision: to become a zero-emis-
sions transport company.
In 2007 TNT launched Planet Me buildings concept in
the Netherlands. The concept consists of a new CO2-
positive Group Head Office by 2010 and will contain a
total of 70,000 square meters of CO2-neutral or -posi-
tive offices at increasingly accessible locations closer
to our employees’ homes. This flexible office concept
will not only impact their footprint and the commut-
ing footprint of employees, it will also allow significant
savings on office expenses. TNT is looking into the
possibilities of developing CO2-neutral depots. As of
2008 all operations in the Netherlands are using 100%
CO2 free electricity produced by hydropower.
TNT aims to cut down on CO2 emissions resulting
from business travel by air and limit it to critical travel
only, and this by using videoconferencing. The objec-
tive is to reduce air travel by 20% in 2008. At the end
of 2007, they had state-of-the-art video conferencing
equipment in over 54 locations worldwide.
TNT have introduced a cash incentive for employees
who choose a highly fuel-efficient car, i.e. cars that
produce less than 120g/ CO2 per kilometre.
TNT trucks and vans generate some 23 % of the com-
pany’s total emissions. From now on, TNT will buy only
vehicles that meet the highest environmental stan-
dards. They have already incorporated electric trucks
in their operational fleet in the UK and the Nether-
lands. They are also running a number of projects for
the use of alternate fuels.
TNT is implementing new, sustainable policies and
procedures that will apply to the purchase of all goods
and services and the manner in which they select sup-
pliers and subcontractors.
TNT will provide customers with accurate information
on the CO2 emissions generated by our customers’
shipments. They will also offer clients the opportunity
to offset the CO2 emissions of their shipments or mail-
ings. If clients are prepared to pay for compensation,
TNT will invest the same amount of money to create
a carbon-positive consignment. The funds collected
will be invested in dedicated climate change pro-
grammes. The first efforts in offering business part-
ners the chance to send CO2-neutral consignments,
was introduced in 2008.
DPWN: GoGreen
Deutsche Post World Net has set itself the goal of
achieving a 30 percent improvement in the Group’s
carbon efficiency by 2020. In other words, the Group
plans to raise the carbon efficiency of every letter sent,
tonne transported or square meter used in terminals,
branches and offices by 30 percent (compared to the
base year 2007).
The objectives include the carbon emissions which
the group can control directly, i.e. emissions caused
by the transport of goods or by fuel consumption and
the services provided by Deutsche Post World Net
subcontractors.
As an intermediate step, Deutsche Post World Net has
set itself the goal of raising its own carbon efficiency
(excl subcontractors) by ten percent for the year 2012.
The existing climate protection goal, which - in keep-
ing with the Kyoto Protocol - aimed to lower the car-
bon emissions of the European ground fleet by five
percent in comparison with 1990, is fully integrated in
GoGreen.
79. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/pdf/faq.pdf
80. Includes printers, publishers and converters.
81. This includes exports paper waste for recycling. Recycling in Europe specifically totalled 57 million tonnes
82. http://www.iea.org/Textbase/work/2006/pulppaper/Mensink_Recycling.pdf
Waste Management
and Recycling
a. Overview
The waste management and recycling sector has an
estimated turnover of over 100 billion euros per year
in Europe. It is labour intensive and provides between
1.2 and 1.5 million jobs. The industry supplies increas-
ing amounts of the recovered products used as raw
material in the European manufacturing industry.
With 50% of its raw materials for production coming
from recovered products, the paper and steel indus-
tries are the acknowledged market leaders in Europe
followed by glass (43%) and then other non-ferrous
metals (40%)79. In absolute terms, paper accounts for
two-thirds of all the packaging material recovered for
recycling - more than glass, metal, and plastic com-
bined.
The paper industry and its print media stakeholders80
play an active role in supporting waste management
and recycling objectives. The European Declaration
on Paper Recycling has a recycling target of 66% of
paper consumed by 201081. Based on the CEPI data,
this means that Europe will recycle 64 million tonnes
of paper by 2010 (an increase of about four million
tonnes on 2007 levels which is already eight million
tonnes more than in 2004 when the original targets
were agreed). The initiative was originally set up as
part of the industry’s corporate social responsibility.
However, some additional and tangible benefits have
also been recognised as a result of the programme82:
• Pulping of recovered paper is less energy intensive:
for example 0.4MWEh/tonne in recycling compared
to 2-2.5MWEh/tonne in virgin production.
• Not land-filling the paper directly contributes to the
climate as well, saving on Methane emissions from
landfills.
• Promote our innovative transportation methods and
alternative vehicles.
• The 2010 target will save some additional five million
tonnes of CO2 compared to a scenario of “stagna-
tion of recycling volumes”.
37
 b. Trends in Europe

The European Union holds about 30% of world market

share of eco-industries and 50% of the waste and re-
cycling industries83.

In total, the EU generates 1.3 billion tonnes of waste

annually (equivalent to 530kg/year per person (EU-15
and 300-350 kg in the remaining EU-10). Municipal
waste increased by 19% between 1995 and 2003 and
remains the single fastest growing waste stream in
Europe. Critically, waste generation outpaced GDP
growth between 1990 and 1995 in the EU-25 (10%
against 6.5%)84.

The private contractors’ combined

share of the MSW (Municipal Solid
Waste) market varies across Europe.
The public sector remains dominant
in waste collection in most countries,
but in many countries treatment is
already largely privatised. Com-
mentators expect radical changes
in industry investment - from both
outside (via private equity) and inside
(via industry consolidation)85.

Conclusions:
Supporting the
Value Chain
How can the various industries of the paper based
communications value chain communicate the posi-
tive value proposition that the postal industry offers to
European citizens. What can we do:
a. Reinforce the positive aspects
Our industry provides an essential service to the citi-
zens of Europe that is accessible to all businesses and
consumers.
• The UPU estimates that the penetration of post in
Europe is almost 100%. This is not surprising since it
is the only service where there is a legal requirement
for all citizens to have access to it. This was even
reinforced in 2008 when the European Parliament
agreed to keep the Universal Service Obligation. The
focus on the need to guard this network – almost
like a European asset – clearly highlights the value
and respect that the post holds amongst Europe’s
principal decision-makers.
• Furthermore, studies across Europe show that pa-
per mail is highly-valued by the vast majority of Eu-
ropean citizens. In the UK86, studies have shown that
mail is viewed as very professional with customers
likely to feel more valued and likely also to react if

83. http://ecoinno2sme.eu/index.php5?file=24&archive=1&news=70
38 84. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/pdf/faq.pdf
85. http://www.epsu.org/IMG/pdf/EN_PSIRU_waste_management_in_EU_Feb_06.pdf
86. Mail can win in a digital world, Pg 10, http://www.psc.gov.uk/postcomm/live/news-and-events/speeches-and-presentations/2008/international-direct-marketing-
fair-2008/2008_04_30_IDMF_2008_Postcomm.pdf
 they receive a letter. Studies from countries where
the e-communications have high penetration levels
(i.e. Sweden and Denmark) have revealed similar
results. In Belgium, the mail moment studies show
similar results.
• Paper is key for the mail industry and it is an eco-
logically friendly product:
• Forestry resources are growing in Europe (incl
Russia) at a rate of 805,000 hectares per year.
Excluding Russia, this amounts to 607,000 hect-
ares per year or 1.5 million football pitches.
• The sector has developed and works with a
number of forest management programmes
that support sustainable forest management
practices. These include FSC and PEFC.
• Most of the raw materials used to make pa-
per are residue from other industrial activities.
The remainder are wood chips of offcuts from
necessary forestry management practices. By
providing a serious marketing option for these
otherwise potential waste products, the paper
industry is actually supporting the financial vi-
ability of the sector – and the sustainability of
forests.
• Mail constitutes a very small % of the total volume
of waste.
• 90% of the paper used in DM campaigns is
recycled.
• DM accounts for 1% of an average country’s
total paper consumption.
• Less than 1% ends up on landfill sites87.
• The Direct Mailing industry aims to maximise the
response rate – as this, it confirms, is the best way to
minimise the environmental impact of the product.
• The Case Materials sector (ie corrugated boxing)
has possibly the best record of any industry in the
field of recycling with 92% of its fibres being recov-
ered paper and 84% of all its products on the market
being recycled. This fact is acknowledged by the Eu-
ropean Commission.
• The Envelope industry confirms that, based on stud-
ies, the entire envelope, including the window film,
can be recycled within the normal graphic paper
recycling process.
87. Source: UK DMA
88. Such as Cap Gemini (2007) European Postal Perspective and Pitney Bowes (February 2008), Mail Trends Update
89. IPC Market flash, October 2008
When defending the industries mentioned in this pa-
per one should keep in mind that recent evidence88
underlines that the decline of mail volumes due to
electronic alternatives, often referred to as e-substitu-
tion, needs to be considered carefully.
Households with internet access are likely to send
and receive more mail than those without. In addition
to the arguments presented in this document, which
have focussed exclusively on the environmental as-
pect, these findings are important evidence that the
traditional post and the internet can actually go hand-
in-hand to create more volumes and thus value of
mail.
Hybrid mail combines electronic and physical mes-
sages. Unencrypted electronic files can be printed for
delivery by the postal company so that mailers save a
few euros or dollars while they enjoy the advantages
of paper communications. In addition, the service is
promoted as reducing carbon footprints. Altogether,
this cost-efficient desktop postal service has great po-
tential to become a valuable growth market89.
b. Working on the negative aspects
There is no questioning the fact that our industry im-
pacts the environment. However, we have invested
millions of euros into new systems, processes and
technologies to reduce this impact. This document is
full of great examples of recycling and waste reduc-
tion initiatives undertaken by the paper-mail value
chain. Below are some of the strongest examples:
The collective postal industry (via PostEurop) is devel-
oping a GHG programme that aims at:
• 10% reduction of CO2 emissions within the next five
years
• combatting the causes of climate change
• minimising use of natural resources
• increasing its use of alternative fuels
The paper industry has reduced its CO2 emissions
by 15% from 2003 through to 2006 while at the same
time increasing its use of renewable energy. 54.5% of
the energy required to produce paper is now coming
from biomass sources.
39
 To improve transparency, the paper industry has de- c. Challenge and correct the myths
veloped a carbon footprint framework that its mem-
bers can use to measure their environmental impact REMEMBER THE TEN KEY FINDINGS FOR PAPER
and work on new ways to make further cuts. BASED COMMUNICATIONS

The European Direct Marketing Association (FEDMA)
acknowledges that the most environmentally friendly
campaigns are those that maximise the response rate
from the intended recipients. Accordingly, they advise
that when developing a direct marketing campaign
companies need to first focus on response rates and
then look at how to reduce the environmental footprint
of the activity – most easily by reviewing their data-
bases to avoid sending materials to those who are
no longer there, or for whom the subject is no longer
relevant.
Throughout the process, the printing industry has
implemented a number of measures to reduce their
environmental impact and footprint. These include:
1. F orests are not being destroyed to produce paper-
mail. On the contrary, the total forest area in Europe
is now 30% larger than in 1950 - and growing. In-
cluding Russia, European forests cover 44% of the
total land area and they are increasing by 805,000
ha per year. Excluding Russia, the figures are 38%
of land area and increasing at 607,000 ha per year
(1.5 million football pitches).
2. T he paper industry rarely cuts trees for the pro-
duction of paper90. Trees are harvested for the
high-value clearwood used in other industries such
as construction and furniture-making. The raw fi-
brous materials used for paper-making in Europe,
on average include91:

• Digital (computer-to-plate) technology in pre-press • 50% of fibre from recovered paper.

activities has reduced waste materials and waste
water.
• Measures are being taken in all printing processes
to reduce VOCs in their waste gases in the most ad-
equate way in relation with each printing process.
• Printers multiply their efforts to reduce waste ma-
terials and energy consumption. This includes for
instance projects aiming at reducing waste paper in
the preparation phase of printing.
• To encourage further development, the industry has
formed a task force on CO2 emissions, to investigate
guidelines for companies to identify and reduce their
impact on climate change.
The stationary and envelope manufacturers have
recently launched a pan-European ecolabel initiative
that takes the potential environmental impacts of the
product into account. These include the raw materials
(including paper, printing inks, glue and window films)
and the converting process (including energy, emis-
sions to water and air).
• 50% new or virgin fibre, most of which is a by-
product which may be potentially wasted:
• 13% comes from wood chips, saw dust and
the tops of the harvested trees which are
generally unmarketable.
• 20-25%92 comes from thinnings which is a
management practice required during the
lifecycle of a forest to ensure that the forest
remains healthy and is safe from risk of fire.
3. T he paper industry does not have a big carbon
footprint. Because of the carbon sequestration93
in forests and the carbon fixed in paper products,
the paper industry has a relatively positive (i.e. low)
carbon footprint. The UN has said that the wood
and paper industries could be part of the solution
to mitigate climate change.
4. T he paper industry does not consume immense
quantities of fossil fuels. 54.5% of the energy used
in European paper mills is green biomass, the high-
est percentage of all industrial sectors in the EU.
The CO2 emissions from this biomass are neutral.

90. In Finland and Portugal (and perhaps Austria), some trees are grown and managed to be specifically harvested for paper production. This remains only a small part of
the total resource pool in Europe.
91. CEPI. For more information, see www.cepi.org
92. Weaker or smaller trees are felled early on to allow space for the stronger trees to grow larger
93. The process by which carbon sinks remove CO2 from the atmosphere is known as carbon sequestration
94. Ave CO2 emissions per European household is approx 20 tonnes per household per annum. This is based on figures from the International Energy Annual 2005 (7.93
tonnes of CO2 per capita x a std conversion rate of 2.80 persons per household).
40 95. The CO2 of mail per household is based on a European average number of mailpieces of 260 units per capita (approx average of UPU data for Europe) converted
using the std factor of 2.80 persons per household (727 items per household). This is then converted to CO2 equivalents using an European industry figure of 20gr
of CO2 emitted per mailpiece (estimated average for Europe based on postal company CSR reports – collected & summarised by Pitney Bowes: http://66.102.9.132/
search?q=cache:OlIQ_-lq73oJ:www.insight2foresight.co.uk/_attachments/3335871/Making%2520Mail%2520Relevant%2520v2.ppt+CO2+of+a+transatlantic+flight,+6.
5. M
 ail represents 0.1% of the total household CO2 ……..AND WE ARE ALL INVESTING TO MAKE FURTHER
emissions94. It amounts to only 14 kg of CO2 per REDUCTIONS…..
year based on an average number of mail items
per household (727) per year95. This is equivalent d. Support all partners in the value
to96: chain

• One 70 km car journey or Wherever possible, please try to support all colleagues
• Five Cheeseburgers or in the value chain. If in doubt, please contact them to
ensure that what you are stating is indeed correct and
• Nine litres of milk or
aligned with their views. Use the following key find-
• 6.6 minutes of a transatlantic flight. ings:

6. P
 aper used in communications should not end Your partners include:
up in landfill. In 2007, more than 64% of the paper
and board consumption was recycled in Europe.
CEPI www.cepi.org
The industry recognises the importance of recov-
ered material in the paper-making process and CITPA www.citpa-europe.org
continues to work on projects to promote recycling FEDMA www.fedma.org
in Europe.
FEPE www.fepe.org
7. P
 aper is recycled more than any other packaging INTERGRAF www.intergraf.eu
material. Paper accounts for two-thirds of all the
PostEurop www.posteurop.org
packaging material recovered for recycling -- more
than glass, metal, and plastic combined.
Consider also using the following supportive message
8. T here is no such thing as ‘junk mail’. Studies on the bottom of your e-mails:
continue to reinforce the value of Direct Mail as a
means of informing Europeans. After consumers When you print this email, please recycle it. Paper
have used the information, the material then be- is renewable, recyclable and the natural support of
comes a recyclable product that can be used again ideas. For further information, please see www.pa-
and again if treated properly. This is no different peronline.org
from an empty can of coke which is discarded cor-
rectly so that it can be reused.

9. T he Postal network is guaranteed to reach 100%

of registered European citizens. The postal indus-
try remains the only effective communication net-
work that is guaranteed to reach 100% of Europe’s
citizens. This fact is enshrined in European law. The
postal industry provides a strategically essential
service that simply cannot be replaced.

10. E lectronic communications are not more envi-

ronmentally friendly than paper based commu-
nications. PC’s account for more than two percent
of annual household CO2 emissions97. This cost
is always underestimated by commentators. A
Swedish study confirmed that reading a news-
paper released 20% less carbon than reading a
newspaper online for 30 minutes98.

6+minutes&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=be). Note that the figures do not include production of materials which Pitney Bowes estimates to costs 0.9-1.3gr CO2 per gr of paper
(Pitney Bowes - The Environmental Impact of Mail: A Baseline, June 2008). Assuming a 20gr mail piece, this would, in practice, double the CO2 emissions (to 28 kg CO2 per
household). However, this is still less than 0.2% of annual household emissions.
96. Pitney Bowes (Making Mail Relevant) http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:OlIQ_-lq73oJ:www.insight2foresight.co.uk/_attachments/3335871/Making%2520Mail%25
20Relevant%2520v2.ppt+CO2+of+a+transatlantic+flight,+6.6+minutes&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=be).
97. Study of a reference PC in the UK indicates that a PC operating at full capacity for eight hours per day and 5 days per week releases 6.8kg of CO2 per week or 352 kg of
CO2 per annum. Given that a household PC is also used on weekends, the emissions can be estimated to be as high as 495kg of CO2 per annum. http://www.zerocar-
bonfootprint.co.uk/green_computing.htm. 41
98. http://www.forest.fi/smyforest/foresteng.nsf/95f358fafb7d84d8c2256f4b003725e1/5c5a49462ac05185c22574ba001ba997. Note that the study assumed that the
newspaper was only read once and by one person whereas the ENPA (www.ENPA.be) state that 140 million newspapers are distributed daily in Europe and are read by 280
million people. Further, the study does not consider the full cost of disposal of the PC and screen.
 Addendum: A last
word on the IT
sector
Electronic substitution is not just a threat, it is now a
real competitive threat to the future of the mail value
chain. Companies are increasingly moving towards
the internet and email as they look at broadening their
target audience and reducing their costs. Whether
both of these objectives are or will ever be actually
realised is debateable and beyond the scope of the
document. National governments – especially in the
nordic regions – have mandated that government
documents should all move towards electronic dis-
tribution and the European Commission has set up
special working groups aimed at driving a European
IT strategy as a way to get more citizens online.

The papermail value chain recognises the impor-

tance of the IT sector in today’s business world and
readily embraces technology wherever possible. Fur-
thermore, it is widely recognised that a paper-based
mailout combined with an email response option is
likely to obtain a high response rate from consumers.

HOWEVER, the industry strongly disputes the blank

claims made by companies and partners that the IT
solution to communications is always more effective
and, most importantly in the context of this document,
environmentally friendly.

42 99. Pitney Bowes - The Environmental Impact of Mail: A Baseline, June 2008
100. http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=503867
101. http://www.efficient-server.eu/fileadmin/docs/reports/E-Server_PartI_Sav-
ing_potentials_and_scenarios_06112007.pdf
Pitney Bowes made three significant conclusions in a
publication released in June 200899. These were:
1. T rying to compare the total carbon footprint of mail
versus electronic communications in this (a multi-
channel) environment is virtually impossible.
2. A
 ttempts to eliminate mail and substitute electronic
communications is more of a redistribution of the
total carbon footprint than its elimination.
3. T he carbon footprint of a mail piece is more eas-
ily understood because its components are more
visible to the recipient. However, the exercise of
determining the carbon footprint of the electronic
pieces of a communications process need to be
done to provide a complete picture of an end-to-
end communications or marketing process.
Nevertheless, readers should be aware of some rel-
evant facts and concerns about the ICT sector:
• In 2006, Gartner estimated that the global ICT in-
dustry accounted for two percent of total global CO2
emissions. At its Symposium/ITxpo in 2007, it stated
that failure to reduce CO2 emissions significantly in-
creased the risk of companies incurring additional
costs, loss of competitive position and negative re-
action from buyers, pressure groups, media and
politicians100.
• The number of servers installed in Western Europe
(EU-15 + Switzerland) is estimated at 6.77 million
units in 2006. This was 37% higher compared to
2003. More concerning was the estimate that unit
numbers would increase by 110% by 2011101.
• The energy used to power the 6.77 million server
units amounted to 51.6 TWh for servers and their
data centres - including storage, network compo-
nents, infrastructure (cooling lighting, UPS).
• This does not cover the energy cost of running the
estimated 150-200 million PC’s in Europe – of which
it is estimated that the efficiency of use runs at about
30%.
• Europe produces 10.3 million tonnes of electronic
waste a year102. This compares to an annual mail
volume of approximately 3.4 million tones – a sig-
nificant (and growing) part of which is recycled103.
102. http://www.eubusiness.com/Environ/e-waste.01/
103. This is an estimated figure for the EU 15 based on the a Pitney Bowes figure for worldwide mail volume of approximately 13.5 million metric tons.
104. The McKinsey Quarterly: How IT can cut carbon emissions
105. http://www.forest.fi/smyforest/foresteng.nsf/95f358fafb7d84d8c2256f4b003725e1/5c5a49462ac05185c22574ba001ba997. Note that the study as-
sumed that the newspaper was only read once and by one person whereas the ENPA (www.ENPA.be) state that 140 million newspapers are distributed
daily in Europe and are read by 280 million people. Further, the study does not consider the full cost of disposal of the PC and screen.
• McKinsey & Company104 estimate that the ICT sec-
tor in Europe (including Russia) will release an ad-
ditional 338.8 million tonnes of CO2 by 2020 – an
increase of 59% (125.6 million tonnes) in CO2 emis-
sions on 2007 figures.
• Recent studies that provide some ‘food for thought’
are:
• The technical university of Stockholm (Kungliga
Tekniska Högskolan) concluded that, with a
“European” mix of electricity and waste man-
agement systems, the web-based newspaper
with just 30 minutes reading time created 20%
more CO2 emissions than the physically distrib-
uted newspaper105.
• Research by an Australian company (Trinity P3)
concluded that one internet ‘banner’ running
for one week produces 7.2 tonnes of CO2 emis-
sions – much more than a full-page advert run-
ning in five major cities. The report concluded
that internet advertising must become more
targeted if it intends to improve its green im-
age.
No independent studies exist publicly on the environ-
mental impact of mail vs electronic substitution. This
is extremely unfortunate as it means that companies,
media and politicians continue to take strategic deci-
sions without complete information.
In this respect, we should all be reminded of the UK
nappy debate.
After a decade of officially supporting the reusable
nappy, the UK Government is likely to make a U-turn
on its position. This is because a report, commissioned
by the Environment Agency, recently confirmed that
there are no material differences in the GHG emis-
sions stemming from the use of a reusable nappy
versus a comparable disposable nappy. It highlighted
that both had an impact on the environment –it’s just
that they make an impact at different stages of the
product lifecycle.
It is important that complete and comparative envi-
ronmental lifecycle studies are undertaken BEFORE
conclusions are made that can negatively affect any
one industry and its reputation.
43
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